It is London in the Summer of 1945. A group of five young women from a particular strata of society are living in a boarding house for such young women who are hard up because of the generic circumstances of the time rather than their place in society. In other words they are euphemistically called ‘girls of slender means.’
Based on the 1963 novel by Muriel Spark, The Girls of Slender Means hasbeen superbly adapted for stage by actor and writer Gabriel Quigley, who reveals that the female characters in the book represent a part of Spark herself. We have super posh Selina (Julia Brown) with several men in tow; the devout and conservative Joanna (Molly McGrath); the fragile Pauline (Shannon Watson) with her imaginary film star boyfriend; the self-confessed crosspatch Anne (Amy Kennedy), custodial owner of a Schiaparelli dress, personified as ‘Schiapers,’ that the girls can borrow or barter for in rotation, and aspiring poet and token Scot Jane (Molly Vevers) who cares least of all about said dress.
The opening scene is set in the ‘60s in the offices of Elan fashion magazine where Jane, now in a chic green suit of the time, is in charge and still in touch with Anne, flawlessly captured throughout by Amy Kennedy, now an impatient mum yelling at children while on the phone with a martini. Reflecting the book’s flashback style, the news of the shocking death of the anomalous anarchist in an army officer’s uniform turned Jesuit priest, Nicholas Farringdon (Seamus Dillane), who was a regular visitor to the May of Teck boarding house, triggers a return there.
Flick of a switch scene changes bring new atmosphere thanks to Jessica Worrell’s ingenious set designs. We go from said boarding house, with its tiny window that is prohibitive for some bottoms to get through to access a sun roof, to the brilliantly choreographed and highly comic front of stage office scene, to Smokey’s nightclub where tailor’s dummies take the roles of the girls’ dancing partners under Roxana Silbert’s smart direction.
In every scene the costumes are immaculate, chiming beautifully with the time, so top marks to the whole costume department for exquisite sewing and knitting. The pleasing colour palette emphasises the girls’ desire to opt for beauty in an attempt to block the reality of the hardship surrounding them in a bleak time.
The cast expertly embodies the spectrum of characters with all their flaws and vulnerabilities, the script never losing Spark’s sharp unsentimental view of the world and its inhabitants. Some of the lines used such as “ …a time when truth becomes lies” are as pertinent now as when written, echoing despair about shifting political landscapes. Anne’s running jibe at Jane to “Say ‘Hurdy Gurdy’ “ in her Scots accent for her amusement would have had more impact if it sounded more like Taggart but then she was an Edinburgh gal! Jane, who not so much wanted Nicholas as a boyfriend but to BE him as a writer, changes most in the end both sartorially and professionally.
This story, that’s full of Sparkian complexities, manages to leave the powerful message that looking on the bright side helps to get through dark times. Marvellous!
Runs till Saturday 4th May
Age recommend 12+
Running Time 140mins
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 