Perhaps more so than anywhere else, there is an abundance of queer theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe exploring relationships of all dynamics, and yet Bachelor Girls manages to decidedly set itself above the crowd. Exploring the unique, yet brilliantly gripping combination of sapphic love, patriotic frustration and a wartime period comedy-turned-thriller, there truly is nothing quite like Bristol DramSoc's latest production, and little that can match the gripping, passionate writing and performances that bring the piece to life.
A fringe piece really ought not to be quite so polished: with a stunningly period accurate set design, an atmospheric soundtrack and soundscape that feels authentically immersive, and a true sense of communal intimacy, from its very outset, Connie James and Evanthe Gee's Bachelor Girls sets a remarkable standard of what smaller scale theatre can and should be. It's slick, polished, and with a terrific cast of four, remarkably strong on a smaller scale. Yet while the piece is produced flawlessly, proving itself to be a mighty underdog despite its humble scale, the true brilliance lies within its writing and performances; delivering the some of the best character driven drama in Edinburgh this year, Bachelor Girls is an unequivocal masterpiece of tragi-comedy.
Revolving around the lives of four women sheltering in a bunker during the second world war, we meet V, Billie, Jude and Claudia in the midst of a card game, full of heartwarming comradery yet with a subtle tension simmering beneath. All four women are husbandless - some of their husbands at war, others widows - and isolated from the outside world and its patriarchal constrictions, come to flourish in their feminine sanctuary. The combination of 21st century feminist discussions within a 1940s setting is nothing short of genius: of course these discussions will have been held discretely at the time, yet by recontextualising such urgent and vital conversations about female identity and companionship through the pressures and physical restrictions of the second world war, the worries of these women feel all the more vital. In many ways one can feel echoes of recent lockdowns; the fears of reintegration to society and the claustrophic nature of being housebound speak now in a way that makes the lives of women during world war two feel far more tangible.
At a deceptively short 50 minutes, the piece economises its writing with terrific pacing and a merciless attention to detail - the scenes are snappy, never feeling rushed nor outstaying their welcome, and flowing with an effortless ease. While one could fear that a piece spanning the time frame of months could feel somewhat rushed and montage dependent, Gee and James have seemingly cracked the formula for finding emotional and thematic cohesion between temporally disconnected scenes, The result is a piece that simultaneously ebbs and flows with a consecutive feel, while allowing a sense of time and progression witnessed through the characters.
These characters are undoubtedly the highlight of the show, and are brought to life by a thrillingly talented cast. Honey Gawn-Hopkins delivers a stern and at times intimidating V, who's presence for much of the first two scenes lingers authoritatively, and paired against Claudia Osborne as Billie, who delivers a heartbreakingly volatile monologue at the piece's close, plays with a fascinatingly nuanced perception of devotion and relationships. If V and Billie deliver the thrills of the piece, it's Jude and Claudia, played by Ava Zarate and Lily Robinson respectively that provide the show with its heart. Zarate is truly lovable in her role, providing a childish joy and infectiously innocent view of love towards Robinson's Claudia, who in a devastating later scene delivers exceptional nuance and depth. To have one of these performances in a fringe show would be enough to ensure success - to have four of them all playing off one another is a joy and dramaturgically satisfying pleasure to behold.
With its run now over, one simply has to hope that Gee and James are cooking up something equally impactful for their next collaboration, yet for a piece so perfectly polished, it would be a terrible shame for this to be the end of its road. With heaps of emotional honesty, intellectual integrity and artistic ambitious, Bachelor Girls embodies everything about what makes fringe great, and inspires hope that there is a fantastic upcoming generation of both writers and actors.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
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