Hewitt’s 2022 Fall Play, “Top Girls” by Caryl Churchill, transports the audience through a three-act journey showcasing the power of overlapping dialogue while addressing ideas that are still relevant today. Complex themes of Thatcherism, motherhood, class, and patriarchy are present and discussed throughout the play. 

Taking place in the 1980s, the show opens with a dream sequence. At a fancy dinner, guests celebrate the main character, Marlene’s, job promotion. Dinner attendees include historical and fictional women who were trailblazers of their time. Within the opening lines, the characters introduce overlapping dialogue, which is an essential part of theatrical realism. This complex way of storytelling allows the audience to choose who to listen to, which gives each viewer a unique, subjective experience. 

Act Two provides a glimpse into women’s working lives in the 80s, which is full of office gossip and grueling interviews. These scenes highlight the obstacles women have to face in a male-dominated world, including sexism and the restrictions of marriage. Churchill’s writing critiques the impossible standard set for women, enforcing the idea that they can only be successful in the workforce if they first suppress their femininity. 

Act Three takes place a year later, as the audience gets an intimate peek into the home of Marlene’s sister, Joyce. The two discuss the underlying tensions of their past and later quarrel about motherhood, Thatcherism, and class. The show’s conclusion lingers on these themes, as the audience is left with an uncanny line: “Frightening”. 

Director and theater teacher Colleen Britt explains the reason she chose “Top Girls”: “There are not enough women stories told by women. This play allows our students to learn, experience, and grow as young women, finding their connection and truth along the way.” As the viewers embark on this intense drama, it is notable that the progression of Hewitt’s past productions has built up to this play. In 2018,  Britt helmed “The Children’s Hour,” which tackled themes of sexual orientation and suicide. “The Wolves,” in 2019, featured strong language and teenage self-discovery. 2021 saw an original production of “The Resolute: All Hands In,” created and developed by Britt and playwright Gabrielle Sinclair. Each of those shows set the bar ever higher by introducing vibrant new forms of theatrical expression. 

Though “Top Girls” was written nearly 40 years ago, it feels eerily contemporary. Echoes of the show’s theme can be seen in recent events such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the #MeToo Movement. Although the play takes place in the 80s, it underscores a lack of progress for women. Stage manager Olivia Gee ‘24 comments that “through Marlene, we see snippets of the life she left behind and her current one, and think about the two-sided expectations that women were forced into.”

In “Top Girls,”, only a few women can be successful, and they make huge sacrifices in the process. By reflecting on the play’s relevance, and challenging those norms, perhaps someday, there will be more room at the top.

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