The production is a thought-provoking contribution to the South East London Festival. The title accurately describes a series of sketches involving five women playing out dramas in which they have felt threatened by men.
A girl in a gym going about her exercise is sexually assaulted as a man comes up behind her and rubs himself against her pretending to help; a woman sits uncomfortably between two men who are manspreading on a tube train; a woman walking to work in the dark is wary of going through underpasses and carefully watches everyone she sees. Any woman watching this knows how they feel, ‘Don’t look up, don’t acknowledge him in any way’, all nervous of escalating any contact for fear of attack.
The best and lengthiest of these scenarios is played convincingly by Isobel Griffiths in a sparkly dress on a night out dancing with mates, getting drunk, enjoying herself. Until she finds herself throwing up in an alley watching a terrible scene unfold, too drunk to do anything. It could have been any of us, we think.
We know where our sympathies lie from the start, if there were any doubt a radio announcement at the start of the show recalls real-life murders of women by men, and a wayside shrine to a murdered women is ever-present stage right.
The production enters into more traditional dramatic territory only with a scene where one bookish sister describes her encounter with a man and his unwanted sexual advances, his ‘tongue down my throat’ to her more outgoing sibling. The response, ‘not all men are bad’, is what we hear all the time (usually from men). But we don’t know which are the good ones….that is our problem. These conflicting voices are welcome as they explore women’s concerns and fears. A complete play on these themes (rather than stand alone sketches), where the sisters work through their own scenarios would have made more of a seamless statement and feel less bitty.
The scenarios of the 70s sit-com and the social media commentator miss their mark in an offering which is uneven, but has its high points due to some excellent performances. I did like the scary writhing horror monster covered in blood. ‘Have you thought of going on the pill?’ asks the doctor. My male partner did not get the reference to pre-menstrual tension and the nightmare we women sometimes become. I thought this was funny, but most of the themes were so much darker, ones which concern all of us women.
While rough round the edges, the production makes an excellent attempt at showing the audience how women feel, how everyday life is a trial, a gauntlet run. Go and take your fathers, brothers, sons, male friends. Their comments will tell you who they are.
Venue: The Jack Studio
Written and directed by: Susannah Cann
Cast: Annabel Lisk, Isobel Griffiths, Ariane Lenihan, Phoebe Shepherd, Anna Francis
Duration: 55 minutes
Until: 2 September 2026 (and other locations)