I attended Birmingham Rep Theatre to review Good For A Girl. A new play from Becky Deeks. The set reminded me of an advent calendar, with the numbered lockers providing the backdrop to this production.
Music would punctuate throughout the play, sometimes signalling the end of a scene. The music was youthful and modern, the choreography was very good.
Sound effects and noises also added to this production and were excuted very well, so hats off to sound designer-Clive Meldrum.
In terms of the production, the 1st half did have some moments that I think could have been tweaked, the message was clear but focused a bit too much on the comedic aspect of the story whereas more could have been said about the sexism faced by women footballers. The 2nd half after the interval was much better, making a powerful theatre piece and raised questions for the audience to think about. Diversity And Equality is a much discussed topic in the USA at the moment. However with sexism still prevalent, I would say specific policies are needed to combat such things.
The acting by the performers was very good. Particular praise from me goes towards Gina Jamieson who played Courtney who played the part exceptionally well.
In the programme it says “ Good For A Girl” came from a place of anger, a need to challenge what’s going on, not only in football but also in the wider world. Sexism happens too frequently and this play is part of that challenging that.
The play therefore is a beacon of light for change and one which with the right tweaking, particularly during the 1st half will be a game changer.
The performance received a rapturous applause at the end and was clearly loved by theatre audiences on the evening I went.
This show sits for me between 3-4 Star Review