Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls was a play unlike any other I have read or seen. It was a unique way of portraying the hardships women encounter in the working world. While reading the preface to the play I anticipated that I was really going to enjoy it. Unfortunately, after completing the play I found myself disappointed. There were a few reasons I didn’t enjoy the show.
First I thought the non-linear structure of the play was very confusing. After reading two acts that took place one right after another it was difficult to remember that Act 3 took place a year before. I had to continuously remind myself that it took place before the other two acts. Perhaps it would have been easier to remember this if I were to see the show rather than read it.
I also found Churchill’s writing technique to be unusual and make it difficult to follow the plot. The constant interruption and overlapping dialogue was very distracting. I kept focusing on if I had understood the symbols to follow the order of the dialogue rather than focusing on what the characters were saying.
However, I did find the first Act of the show intriguing. I thought it was interesting how different “top girls” from different time periods came to Marlene’s celebration dinner for her promotion. It was interesting to see the similarities between the women’s stories and accounts even though they came from different time periods and walks of life.
I completely agree with your thoughts on how confusing the play was, and the style in which it was written. I think it is interesting how you did not enjoy the play, which I think was aimed at women, and I did enjoy it, being a guy. I think that if the style was tweaked a little it would be enjoyed by a broader female audience but might loose some of the male followers. I think it would be useful to see a production in order to understand and appreciate the play to its full extent.
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