WOMEN OF MANHATTAN
Women of Manhattan
Old Red Lion Theatre,
St John Street, EC1
We've heard it all before - single independent women in their 30s talking candidly about sex and love. And to say that this is set in Manhattan, New York, will draw obvious comparisons.
There's even a blonde sexy one and an androgynous cynical one. But while the show's PR is very obviously positioning itself as the stage's answer to Sex in the City (pitching itself as "perfect for a girls' night out" and even handing out copies of Glamour magazine on the opening night) one can't help but think this is selling itself a little short.
This is a deeper, more intelligent, look at the lives of three women who are successful, dynamic and complicated.
The play comprises conversations in which each of the characters' layers are slowly unravelled to reveal interesting and relatable people.
Performances of all three female leads are excellent, but the two male characters are rather under-developed, unsatisfying and played with less conviction - whether or not this is playwright John Patrick Shanley's intention, one wonders whether the piece may have been better without them altogether.
Girls' night out or just a good night at the theatre - Women of Manhattan is well written, engaging and thoughtful, and the compact space at the Old Red Lion is the perfect setting for an intimate piece like this.
- Peggy Nuttall
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