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Jessica Swale's Blue Stockings is a historical, feminist drama which features as the second play in the trio of Storyhouse Originals. Directed with confidence and passion by Elle While, the play explores the coming of age of four young women in 1890’s Cambridge University, amidst the struggle for the right to graduate and, more radical still, the right to vote.
The piece opens with a rant from misogynist male professor, Dr Maudsley, on the education of women. His tirade about the follies and dangers of women straying from their natural sphere (the home) and their biological function (home-making and child rearing) is met with a great deal of derisive laughter from the audience. It’s an interesting reaction; you could also expect to see patrons sat in stony silent or seething anger - the humour then suggests we have come a long way in 130 years. Though not true in all parts of the world, or all social circles, in Chester today, the idea that women cannot compete with men intellectually is laughable.
The comedic edge continues as we are introduced to our young heroines standing in just their bloomers: confident, bohemian Carolyn (an equally self-assured Neve Kelman); outspoken Tess (Esther Johnson); hardworking Celia (Louise Wilson) and scholarship girl, Maeve (Rebecca Pagasiou). The reason for their shocking attire is to conduct a practical experiment devised by proto-feminist Mr Banks (Tom Davey) to test out Isaac Newton’s Theory of Mechanics: by riding a bicycle. The excitement, daring and camaraderie of the girls sets the tone for the play as they cheer on Tess, who rises to the challenge. Unfortunately, her motor skills don’t quite match her intellect, which results in an offstage crash and a sweetly comical moment. Tess’s two-wheeled escapades also capture the attention of the university boys who are in equal parts scandalised and enamoured, which established the difficult relationship between the two sexes.
The storyline shows us the girls’ thirst for knowledge at Girton College contrasted with the boys’ complacency and entitlement. Visually representing this on stage, each gender sits apart on benches during Dr Maudsley’s first lecture where, frustrated at the boys' preferential treatment and the sexist teachings, Tess’s outburst almost earns her an expulsion. After this rude awakening, as the terms progress, the girls soon understand that while men can have their whiskey and drink it, as women, they have to make many difficult choices. The choice between academia or having a family is an agonising decision for Tess, who is in the throes of first love with Ralph (Phillip Laing). The choice between campaigning for the right to vote and the right to graduate is furiously debated by the female lecturers Miss Blake (Natasha Bain) and Mrs Welsh (Claire Benedict), the older woman firmly believing they must pick their battles wisely and that any association with the Suffragettes will only ruin their own cause. The lines of inequality are not only drawn between the sexes, but also between classes; when Maeve’s working class brother appears unannounced with the news of their mother’s death, the choice between staying on or going home to look after her young siblings is taken away from her. With no other financial aid, and the pressure of bringing disrepute by remaining at Girton College, Maeve has no option but to fulfil her prescribed maternal duty and abandon her education. The men of the play are victims of the patriarchy too; men who support women’s rights are ostracised – sensitive Will (Charlie Knowles) is ridiculed and Mr Banks faces dismissal for refusing to give up teaching the young women. This exploration of identity politics has made Jessica Swale's play a popular choice for GCSE study and despite it's historical context, it's a play with themes just as relevant today.
With a weighty subject matter, the play is therefore very ‘talky’, but it's supported by moments of humour. It could have benefitted, however, from more abstract movement, perhaps showing the students studying or the whirlwind romance, in order to break up the lengthy dialogue. When this is occasionally done, it really works; with just a flurry of walking, some smoke and whistling sounds, movement director Yukiko Masui immediately conjures a station platform. Similarly, simply by moving a large medicine drawer and laying out brown paper and string, we’re suddenly in a haberdashery, while the same drawer covered with green velvet becomes a poker table for the boys’ drunken Bullingdon-style party. Full credit goes to Adam Wiltshire’s versatile and innovative set. It’s also beautiful; a carved, polished wooden structure features as the focal point for the elite institution, which conceals benches and hangs projectable blackboards and star charts. The wooden structure is also pinpricked with LED lights which become tiny stars to add a romance during Tess and Ralph’s night time rendezvous. Frank Moon’s music complements the visual design elements and perfectly matches the tone of the play. From the cast, there are very strong performances all round, particularly from the Young Company, many of whom are on their professional debuts.
The climax of the play sees the brutish male graduates return to Cambridge not only to ensure the vote is not won, but also to send a message to the women and their supporters. The boys storm in lead by ring leader Lloyd (a fantastically chauvinist Macaulay Cooper), where a fight ensures, chairs are knocked over and the women fear for their safety. Claire Benedict (Mrs Welsh) gives a raging performance in retaliation, roaring at the men - have they no shame? No shred of dignity? It’s fiery but a little shouty. We’re told that the graduates have built and started to burn an effigy of a ‘bluestocking’ riding a bicycle. I think it would have been much more powerful to really bring in this effigy and have part of it lit, or else project a video clip of it onto the smart screens. This would have been a shocking contrast against the polished wooden set and a clear visual image of such a profound and sickening moment. I also feel like they very much missed a trick by using sounds of smashing glass, but not having the screens visibly crack like broken windows. The screens are used, however, to inform us of the bitter facts; the fight for all women to graduate was not won until decades later in 1957.
Blue Stockings is a thought-provoking play, beautifully and cleverly designed, with a talented, well-drilled cast. It will leave you angry, proud, and with far more to mull over than after your average night at the theatre.
Blue Stockings runs until Sunday 15th March.
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