Millennium Ladies
Brixton Home, London
sixteenth Could 2025
It’s 1995 and Jessica strikes from Brighton to North London and instantly turns into entangled within the net of complexity that surrounds making pals and navigating cliques at a brand new college.
The scenario is exacerbated when the ladies ridicule her for listening to Blur on her Walkman, versus rap or storage, however issues begin to search for when she connects with Chanel (Tamara Camacho).
Jessica, performed by author Sophia Leonie coming from Brighton, a predominantly white city, has by no means met one other combined race woman, and the 2 develop into agency pals.
Whereas tensions rise when Latisha (Distinctive Spencer) declares that “combined race ladies assume they’re higher than black ladies” the three are united of their need to seek out boyfriends, get kissed and keep away from being referred to as a ‘sket’!
The story rolls on in direction of the 12 months 2000 and the ladies uncover teenage intercourse, cope with misogyny and take the viewers on a nostalgic rollercoaster journey of 90s London’s storage scene.
Playwright Leonie has skillfully inserted a intelligent time-jump, the place by donning a maternal cardigan, she transforms to Jessica’s future self. The viewers are transported to witness future conversations with daughter Jasmine (Nkhanise Phiri), the place teenage ladies’ expertise of misogyny has expanded to incorporate sexting.
On the entire, Millenium Ladies is great writing, and tonight the sold-out crowd erupt with laughter when the highly effective and edgy Spencer as Latisha exclaims “fuckin’ South London” or that the Colosseum is way and “I ain’t gettin’ no 4 evening busses like earlier than”. The viewers, primarily middle-aged girls, whoop and whistle at mentions of Pure Groove report store, Bagley’s and Camden Palace. ‘Gass Membership on a Sunday’ obtained a very large cheer, as Leonie’s lived-in work succeeds splendidly in bringing to life the nice instances from twenty years previous, whereas highlighting the issues of predatory behaviour and poisonous masculinity which might be nonetheless to be solved.
In Leonie’s personal phrases, she’s telling a ‘working class, mixed-race story’, but in addition desires to characterize girls now getting into their 40s, “There’s a type of invisibility that occurs for girls as we hit this age, which might be exhausting”.
Extra Information
MILLENNIUM GIRLS By Sophia Leonie London premiere – Brixton Home, 385 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8GL
Runs till thirty first Could 2025, to e book a go to: Brixton Home
boxoffice@brixtonhouse.co.uk 020 7582 7680 Occasions: Tue – Sat, 7.45pm with matinees on Sat 24 & Sat 31 Could at 2.45pm Captioned efficiency: Tue 27 Could, 7.45pm Age Steerage: 14 Content material Steerage: Some express language and references to sexual assault Tickets: from £16 Working time: 70 minutes (no interval)
‘Home Lates’ within the Bar will provide late-night occasions of comedy, DJ periods, and social quizzes and video games nights on chosen efficiency nights.
Author: Sophia Leonie
Director: Jade Lewis
Producer: Zoe Gibbons
Forged:
Chanel: Tamara Camacho
Jessica: Sophia Leonie
Jasmine: Nkhanise Phiri
Latisha: Distinctive Spencer
Pictures: Helen Murray.
Phrases by Phil Ross. Extra writing by Phil might be discovered at his Louder Than Battle creator’s archive.
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