Review: Girls Who War, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Jaymee-Leigh Thackray’s Girls Who War plunges us into a not-so-distant wartime reality where a national draft has been issued by the government. A group of women must decide who among them will be sent to fight and who will stay behind to pay rent. The story follows three flatmates, accompanied by the surreal presence of a 1940s woman, played by Halli Pattison, who appears as a speechless metaphor, singing comedic adaptations of World War II ballads to narrate the plot.

Thackray captures the familiar intensity of female friendships with great skill, allowing the chaos within these relationships to subtly mirror the wider societal mayhem. The result is a nuanced portrayal of personal and political breakdowns colliding. “I know it’s a lot to process, but can you please just process it,” becomes a recurring line that perfectly encapsulates the central tension of the piece: in a world saturated with crisis and information overload, we’re still expected to keep going as if nothing’s wrong.

The three central characters – a struggling artist, a finance professional, and a construction worker hopelessly devoted to her ex-girlfriend – are brilliantly cast. Through their dynamic, the play offers a sharp and often hilarious insight into the female perspective on state power, framed through themes of melodrama, morality, and the absurdities of modern life. While these themes are explored effectively within the intimate setting of their shared flat, however, there remains untapped potential in expanding the scope to reflect the broader societal chaos and panic a national draft would inevitably provoke.

Questions of war, civic duty, and the housing crisis are all explored with both weight and wit. As the play progresses, each woman begins to plead her case, directed toward the silent 1940s figure, offering up a series of desperately comedic yet self-aware monologues in which they try to argue why their life matters more. The result is a darkly comic take on the brutal, often absurd politics of being young and disposable in your twenties.

Midway through, we’re introduced to two sandwich shop owners. The characters are cleverly multi-roled by the cast and this is a highlight of the performance, injecting the voice of an older generation into the narrative. Their tongue-in-cheek relationship advice runs in poignant parallel to the theme of life’s unpredictability: you never really know how much time you have, especially in a world where conscription could arrive with the morning post.

As the play unfolds, the characters’ relationships and moments of self-reflection push them further into emotional chaos, as questions of love, money, and career anxieties rise to the surface. This culminates in a fast-paced, high-energy scene showing an intense group discussion brimming with awkward sexual tension and pure, palpable stress. Just as the tension peaks, it’s abruptly undercut by the hopeful refrain that “the war will be over by the end of the week.” Another haunting performance from the symbolic 1940s woman follows, her vocal prowess stuns once more, leading into an eerie, ironic finale that quietly declares the show is over.

Throughout, the play brims with biting satire, sharp comedy, and a disquieting sense of familiarity. Its real strength lies in the chillingly clever concept: society’s collapse arriving not with a bang, but through flatmate squabbles and conscription notices. Unsettlingly close to home, this is theatre that demands you confront the chaos knocking at your own front door.

Written by: Jaymee-Leigh Thackray
Directed by: Jade Dharma Roberts
Produced by: Working Girls Theatre

Girls Who War has completed its current run.