Girls Night: Rocking it with “girl power”
You know a musical theatre experience was a good one when it results in an infectious ear worm. “Lady Marmalade,” with that famous French line, has been stuck in this reviewer’s head since seeing Girls Night, playing a short run at The City Theatre in Detroit, from January 14-17.
The audience agreed, with most of the musical numbers resulting in them jumping to their feet to dance and join in on the fun. Unfortunately the theatre was only about one-third full, but that meant more room for jumping around, at least.
The feel-good, “girl power” comedy features five longtime girlfriends during a night of karaoke: Carol, the party girl; Anita who tells it like it is; Liza stuck in marital and emotional downfall; Kate, the prissy designated driver and Sharon the “not-so-nice” nice girl.
Now in their 30s and 40s, the girls have been friends since their teens. They have all had their fair share of heartache, tragedy, joy and success. They reminisce about their younger days, celebrate their current lives and look to the future, all the while belting out an array of classic anthems including “I Will Survive,” “It’s Raining Men,” “Man I Feel Like a Woman,” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
The songs are classics, but given the age of the cast members, seem a little dated/before their time. The audience members, mostly women in their 40s and 50s, knew them well, however. The few men in the audience were definitely good sports since the theme of the evening both on and off stage was clearly bachelorette party.
One of the five friends, Sharon, appears in angel form, having been killed in a mo-ped crash when she was still in her teens. The girls are getting together to celebrate the engagement of Sharon’s daughter, Candy Rose, who she had when she was only 17.
Costuming was uniquely appropriate to each cast member’s personality. Bachelorette party props included pink feather boas, glowing penis headbands and an inflatable man.
The show premiered in the United Kingdom in 2003 before debuting in the U.S. in May 2007 and touring across the country since then. British playwright, author and television producer Louise Roche has written and produced six other plays.
Director Sonya Carter has been with Entertainment Events, Inc. since 2007. She originally performed the role of Liza in the U.S. premier of Girls Night: The Musical in Scottsdale, Ariz. in May 2007. She still performs in the show and has played three of the five roles in the show and has amassed over 400 performances on tour and Off-Broadway.