Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, based on Kate Pankhurst’s picture book of the same name, follows Jade (Kudzai Mangombe), a quiet girl who has spent her whole life obediently doing as she’s been told. When she is left behind at the museum on a class trip, she peeks into an unopened exhibit and meets inspirational women from throughout history. The show has come to Edinburgh Fringe following a successful UK tour, and as I missed the tour’s only Scottish performances at Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre back in April, I was eager to catch it.
All of Jade’s teachers and the women that she meets are played by four actresses (Renée Lamb, Christina Modestou, Jade Kennedy, Kirstie Skivington). They do a great job of bringing each character to life and giving them all their own distinct personality. Lamb was a standout; bringing a humorous touch to the role of Mary Seacole, then softening into a grandma figure in her portrayal of Rosa Parks a few scenes later.
The show has an upbeat, pop-inspired soundtrack accompanied by sharp choreography. The opening song ‘Quiet Children’, where the teachers are frantically trying to control their pupils, is effective in grabbing the audience’s attention, while being highly relatable to anyone who has looked after children. ‘Deeds Not Words’ is a particularly catchy song that Skivington as Emmeline Pankhurst attacks with a tremendous ferocity, while ‘World of Colour’ feels like a party on stage, complete with bongo drums and whistles.
The strong message of girl power is reinforced by the relationships between the women. Frida Kahlo and Jane Austen are friends, and they both encourage Jade to do something creative rather than arguing if painting or writing is superior. Mary Seacole, Mary Anning and Marie Curie are reimagined as a superhero group led by Agent Fifi, and they work together to tell each other’s stories. The women share facts about each other throughout the performance, which makes it educational without being too heavy.
Following in the footsteps of the likes of Hamilton and Six, the show puts a modern slant on history. In ‘Deeds Not Words’, Emmeline Pankhurst is clad in a sparkly purple and white army uniform, which seems much more appropriate than the conservative dresses that we usually see her in. In the closing number, the actresses have blocks that they line up to spell the word “great”. At one point, they rearrange it to spell Greta, serving as a reminder that great women are constantly changing the world.
While the pacing and structure is perfect, at one hour and twenty minutes long with no interval it is quite long for young children to sit through, especially as the one slower song ‘Rosa’s Lullaby’ is the second last number. But with its great soundtrack and inspirational messages, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is a must-see at this year’s Fringe.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World will be shown at Pleasance Courtyard from 12-16, 18-23 and 25-29 August as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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