Review: ALL THE FRAUDULENT HORSE GIRLS, The Glory London
Photo credit: Max Kennedy
Firstly, if you’ve never been to a show at The Glory, then we must wholeheartedly urge you to seek out a performance as soon as possible. This queer East London pub venue is a colourful haven for some of the most imaginative, playful and outrageous performances on the London fringe circuit, and invites a generous, supportive audience. All The Fraudulent Horse Girls, an absurd and affectionate pastiche about queerness and girlhood, encompasses all the best qualities of The Glory’s eclectic programming.
Playwright Michael Louis Kennedy perfectly distils the prepubescent tendency towards fanaticism with wit and warmth in this portrait of Audrey – an adorably awkward girl whose defining characteristic is her all-consuming love of horses. As an Australian play, references to The Saddle Club and other antipodean-specific content abounds, but Kennedy’s script at its heart is an exploration of loneliness, alienation, friendship, unadulterated passion and the juvenile stirrings of latent queerness.
Cazeleōn fizzes with energy as Audrey – she nails the excitable cadence of the hyper-fixated child who has *so* much to tell you about horses. Twinkly-eyed Cazeleōn positively gallops through the play with breathless abandon, but there is also a beautiful aching naivety in her performance.
Beth Graham skilfully steps in as the manifestation of Audrey within a Western adventure dream sequence. Her performance is dazzling and nuanced, and her deft handling of shifting accents as she embodies both real and dream Audrey is nothing short of remarkable.
Alice Morgan-Richards is the third and final Audrey – an effortlessly hilarious and charismatic stage presence completing the charming trio.
Georgia-Leila Stoller completes the main cast in various roles including Emma Stone – a spirit horse that delivers the ultimate message of acceptance in the play. Similar to Morgan-Richards, Stoller is a master of physical comedy and facial expressions, and is probably the stand-out comedian of the evening.
Director Charles Quittner makes ingenious use of The Glory’s quirky space and the cast are emboldened under his direction – it doesn’t feel for a moment that any actor is hemmed in by the intimate stage space.
Lighting and sound design by Tias Volker and set and costume design by Lili Fuller also works wonders within the small space, transforming The Glory’s basement into different worlds and dreamscapes within one horse girl’s head.
Towards the end of the performance, this show veers towards being slightly clumsy and stilted – which only stands out because of the measured flow and pace of the rest of the show. But nevertheless, All The Fraudulent Horse Girls is a tender communal experience, a nostalgic piece that balances humour and poignancy, earnestness and wild, joyful silliness.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett
All The Fraudulent Horse Girls plays at The Glory until 13 January, with tickets available here.