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An ‘attention seeking slag’… and proud of it! Manito’s engaging stage presence offers feminist outrage, gender politics and self-deprecating humour that is both informative and entertaining.Summary
Rating
Excellent
An absolute riot from start to finish, this one-woman show delivers bold, brash, and unapologetic adult humour by weaving gender politics into her own personal story. With a combination of feminist outrage, familial frustrations, self-deprecating humour, and maybe a smidge of ‘I just don’t give a damn’ sassiness, Esther Manito instantly connects with the audience.
Imagine your friend has had a bad day… a very bad day. And you’ve unwittingly called her for a casual chat. Instead, you’re now her sounding board for an hour’s diatribe that not only allows her an outlet but gives you some comic relief and female solidarity. Living with her English husband, two children and her Lebanese father, Manito draws on cross-cultural anecdotes that bring in plenty of laughs. She takes us through the woes of parenting, growing older and wiser, dealing with random drunk men on a train – “swoon” she says with her deadpan humour – and all the misogyny that society is complicit in. Without turning it to misandry, she lays out the stereotypical misogynistic behaviours, demonstrating how institutionalised it is in society.
We hear how anger is labelled as ‘hysterical’ or ‘hormonal’ in women but ‘passionate’ or ‘opinionated’ in men. Hitting the prime age of forty (fondly dubbed the ‘F’ word in my circle), she talks about being immediately pigeonholed as menopausal, even by her own GP! Very relatable to me, having received a letter as soon as forty struck to make an appointment for a full check-up — apparently I was at death’s door! And menopause (no, this is not a dirty word) being liberally used as a get-out jail-free card to apply to any outburst of emotion from women. To paraphrase a line, ‘It’s not just menopause; there is peri menopause, and peri peri menopause… till it just gets too spicy to be put on a label!’
Manito has a confident and engaging stage presence, bringing the house down with her cringe-worthy commentary and anecdotes. Sitting front and centre of an intimate audience at the Soho Theatre, the hour flew by, taking away all the stress of the day. I was flanked on either side by two of her hardcore fans, one a friend and ex-work colleague from Essex, the other a lady from an Islamic Facebook group, who confided to me afterward that she was enjoying it so much she was terrified she might give an unladylike snort-laugh during the act! It was interesting to learn that Manito started out as a secondary school teacher, leaving it behind to pursue her dream on the stage, and in her own word become an ‘attention seeking slag’. We are delighted she did!
Written by: Esther Manito
Produced by: Plosive Limited
Hell Hath No Fury has completed its current Soho Theatre run, and now embarks on a nationwide tour. Full tour dates can be found here.
