A wonderful intimate show

The Vagina Monologues Charter Theatre, Preston Guild Hall
Hollie-Jay Bowes, Diane Keene and Terri Dwyer - cast of The Vagina MonolguesHollie-Jay Bowes, Diane Keene and Terri Dwyer - cast of The Vagina Monolgues
Hollie-Jay Bowes, Diane Keene and Terri Dwyer - cast of The Vagina Monolgues

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to expect.

I had heard great things about the Vagina Monologues in the past but I didn’t quite know how three women sat on a stage reading people’s stories would work, how it would hold my attention or how it would last two hours.

Well I didn’t need to be apprehensive, because just as I had been told, it was an absolute blast.

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I daren’t go with a bloke, although there were some had braved it, so I went with a friend and we made it a girls’ night out.

The show featured Hollie-Jay Bowes (Hollyoaks), Terri Dwyer (Hollyoaks, Grange Hill, LooseWomen) and Diane Keen(Doctors, Ruth Rendell Mysteries) and they were all brilliant.

At times throughout the two hours I had a different favourite, I kept thing a different one was better than the others at getting into character and delivering these monologues.

Sometimes they were funny, in fact laugh out loud hilarious, sometimes they were dark, deep and moving.

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But all three of them were able to do the people they were talking about justice.

I felt as though I could picture these women, from the accents, the facial expressions, the hand movements and more. The monologues included stories about child birth, rape victims, date nights and workshops.

It was written by Eve Enslers and is based on the ‘Vagina Interviews’ she had with women around the globe.

Over the years many women have taken to the stage to help tell these otherwise untold stories.

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And it isn’t the first time the play has come to Preston, but with it on for just one night in the city the Charter Theatre was packed out, presumably by people to see what all the fuss is about.

There was a chance for audience participation where vagina facts were read out and we could fill in the blanks.

There were a few gasps when certain words were used but I think everybody had left their prudishness at the door and all were up for having a good time. It was funny, moving, interesting, witty and the time absolutely flew by.

We talked about our favourite parts of the show all the way home and although I’m not sure I would ever take my mum or my grandma I would certainly urge the girls to go and see it.

You might even learn something!

The show is touring the country for the rest of the year and will return to Lancashire (Blackburn and Colne) before the end of the year.

Laura Wild

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