Girlfriends is billed as a “cross-country cabaret of queer confusion.” It certainly has all of those elements, and is a sweet and light-hearted sort-of love story.
Fresh from a breakup, Scout embarks on a roadtrip across America. Tagging along is Oliska, an elusive Starbucks worker whom Scout is immediately drawn to. As the girls drive around the country, singing for petrol money and immersing themselves in adventure, they develop a close bond — one which blurs the line between platonic and romantic.
Girlfriends is a heartwarming exploration of queerness and homoerotic friendship, allegedly based on real events from playwright and actor Sara Malinowski’s life. As she comes to terms with the idea that they were in a relationship (and not just very close friends), the result is a tender, vibrator-filled coming-of-age story.
Malinowski is captivating to watch: her storytelling abilities make it easy to get lost in the plot, and her energy is infectious and joyous. Her singing voice is excellent, and she shines when she gets to show off her range. The use of music was a clever plot device which immersed the audience in a road trip atmosphere and allowed for some excellent one-liners throughout.
Many scenes were fast paced, and Malinowski generally did a good job of embodying the different characters, despite a few moments early on in the performance when I was somewhat unclear of which character was speaking.
The writing is quietly funny — though I would have liked more laugh-out-loud moments (one of the tough aspects of a morning slot, perhaps). It was heavily referential, which was a little hit-and-miss for me. Reciting long passages of Shakespeare, whilst impressive, felt a little clumsily added in, and did not add much to an audience’s understanding of the plot or characters. With the talent on show in this production, I felt that it could have aimed a little higher than it did in comedic and emotional range.
Malinowski queers the rom-com genre with wit and heart, and the result is an easy-to-watch, feel-good show. Loveable characters and light-hearted storytelling make Girlfriends the perfect show for queer (and straight alike!) fans of Nora Ephron, or Thelma and Louise.
Girlfriends is running until 29 August at Jade Studio, Greenside @ George Street. Buy tickets here.
Imaged provided as press material.
