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Girls
Birmingham Rep Door
***** IN AN incredibly strong message that
packs a political punch with the strength of the human spirit, Girls by
Theresa Ikoko tells the story of the survival of three young women who
were kidnapped from their homes in Nigeria by religious extremists.
It is the story of an everyday tragedy, that
while the stories of captured women are viral online hashtags one day,
they are soon to be forgotten by the next. With the direction of Elayce
Ismail, Girls shows what happens when the world has forgotten. We are exposed to the setting of the girl’s life
after their capture. Rosanna Vize’s atmospheric set shows the smallness
of their world and leaves a great deal to the imagination to fill in
what is happening off set. Black material is used as tree trunks and their
only food is piled in a small corner upstage. The small and dark set is
all we need to give off the atmosphere of complete isolation from the
modern world. The ladies do well at describing the world from which they
came, and fill in the gaps of what is happening around them when they
re-enter after scenes outside their small space. Theresa Ikoko is a new writing genius. She
smashes the Western approach to African tragedy and is not afraid to
tell a harsh truth of what is happening right now. She shines a light
onto the horrors of of today, but still pays homage to the most
beautiful moments that can be found in times of despair. Characters Tisana, Ruhab and Haleema were
captured by Islam extremists as their families fled. They are together
in camp and although their backstories are the same, their experiences
of being kidnapped are completely different.
Ikoko’s story is one that is overlooked by the
western world and the media. In the girl’s journey we see that the
shared online hashtags of today are easily forgotten by tomorrow. It is
a story of daily tragedy and so overlooked by the powerful media of the
west. Ikoko now has finally given the brave and very real girls a voice
within a culture who chooses to ignore it. The strong and powerful story of Ikoko is carried
by the wonderful actors who embody her message. The cast of three is
made up by Yvette Boakye, Abiola Ogunbiyi and Anita-Joy Uwajeh. Through
them we see the heart-warming values of the bonds of friendship,
sisterhood and human survival. The performances from each actor alone is enough
to make us stop to listen to the truth of what is happening before us,
ignored by the Western world. Through Ikoko we see through the girls a
human spirit and bravery beyond measure. Each character is has defining
qualities that make them distinctly different. Through being captured,
the audience see the way in which each girl is forced to grow up and
discover themselves. Haleema is played by Anita-Joy Uwajeh and we
instantly see a strong natured and determined woman, wanting nothing
more than to lead everyone to safety. In Uwajeh’s performance, we are
able to understand the foundations of maintaining a small glimpse of
hope, even when everything in life is taken away. Through her hard
exterior, a caring and motherly nature is exposed. Yvette Boakye is the funny and exuberant Ruhab
who is perhaps the character most changed by the kidnap. Boakye sheds
excellent light to Ruhab’s journey which leads the audience into a great
insight into change and what it means to grow up. Tisana, perhaps the
youngest of the girls is beautifully performed by Abiola Ogunbiyi. Within Ogunbiyi’s portrayal, we see a girl forced
to grow up with a bravery that was always present, but self-belief was
not. It is fascinating that even during a time of desolation, the girls
still find time to play and take a light-hearted approach to life. The girls are intelligent and brave. Ikoko shows
the sacrifice of what women of such a young age are doing on a daily
basis to survive. They have each other which is enough to give them a
hope that there will be an ending to the kidnap. Ikoko shows us that
when the world has turned its back and ignores this reality, love will
still be present, even when nobody can see To 24-09-16 Elizabeth Halpin 20-09-16
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