Top Girls - Mad Cow Theatre - Orlando, FL

By Caryl Churchill

This 1982 contemporary play tells the story of Marlene, a woman driven by a career based on helping women become successful in business. Marlene left her daughter to be raised by her sister who we find is altogether unimpressed with the life Marlene has chosen.

Once again, Mad Cow Theatre and director Tony Simotes have delivered a story which directs audiences to pay attention and question the world around them. Top Girls brings to the fore topics our world continues to struggle with including lack of opportunities in business for women, inter gender nonsupport, abandonment and the emptiness that comes from a lifetime pursuit of material riches and notoriety.

Ashleigh Ann Gardner - multiple roles. Ashleigh spent the better part of the first act as the waitress at Marlene’s cerebral dinner party. We don’t get to see much of this actress’s ability until the party ends when she re-enters as Kit, a young girl attempting to convince her friend Angie to sneak out to the movies. It was exciting to see this actress go from performing such a mundane task as serving wine and food to an excited little girl who was full of life yet able to react to the circumstances of the scene. This interesting actress proves the capabilities of a well-trained actor.

Karel K. Wright - multiple roles. Karel is a strong performer. I admire this actress’s character intentions. They were concentrated yet felt natural to each character Karel portrayed. I was most impressed with the portrayal of Mrs. Kidd. Karel was able to create an entire lifetime in the one scene this character appears. She impressed upon the audience a moment of desperation Mrs. Kidd found her life in when her husband is passed over for a large promotion which is given to a woman. There were so many layers to this portion of the story. I could have sat in this moment for hours and heard more from Mrs. Kidd. It was as if she felt that her life as a supportive wife was all she could ever have been, which could very well have been possible given the time the character had grown up. Bravo Karel. You were the most interesting to watch play.

Cynthia Beckert as Marlene. Marlene wasn’t an impressive character to me. I was less interested in her story than those of the others until the climax of the play. I have to applaud Cynthia because the only thing this character had going for her was that she was the common thread through which the more interesting stories were told. It wasn’t until Marlene was tricked into coming home to see her sister and daughter in which this actress really has the opportunity to shine. In the final scene we were able to get a glimpse into a much more interesting character. For the first time throughout the whole show, I actually felt something for Marlene other than annoyance. Cynthia didn’t hold back one moment, and it felt as though Marlene had been holding back the entire time using her career as a mask for her unhappiness. Great job!

I continue to applaud the productions Mad Cow Theatre puts on, however I was saddened by the fact that so many seats were left unoccupied on a Friday night. This was not the first time I’ve noticed this downtown theater so empty. With so much talent occupying the inside of the theater, I would love to see audiences filling the seats. While local self-gratifying magazines and newspapers continue to praise the theater with “Awards” such as “Best Live Theatre” and “Best Place to See a Play”, audiences are not aware. While the productions this theater puts on may be smart and sophisticated, I would like this theater to challenge itself to put on plays and musicals which local audiences want to see. If the theater would like to know what plays, ask some of our local performers, they’ll tell you what shows they want to do.

Thank you to the kind staff and volunteers. The new ticketing method threw me off and you were all very helpful. Bravo to the cast and Tony for this lovely production.