Age of Arousal

February 2011

The quality of productions at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre this season has been consistently high and Age of Arousal - a co-production with Stellar Quines Theatre Company - is no exception.

Based on The Odd Women by George Gissing (by coincidence one of the ten best neglected literary classics as chosen by Rachel Cooke in today's Observer) the play tells the story ex-militant suffragette Mary Barfoot. And if stories about ex-militant suffragettes aren't your cup of tea then it's about time you changed your brew. This isn't the stuffy affair you might expect: it's got sex, alcoholism, cross dressing, more sex & typing. More importantly although it's set in 1885 the underlying issue of sexual equality is still relevant in 2011.

A cleverly lit simple set and great performances by all six actors. Clare Lawrence-Moody is especially convincing as Mary Barfoot's confused protégé but the stars of the show are the three Remington typewriters. Never has watching typists at work been so entertaining.

Age of Arousal, Royal Lyceum Theatre, until 12th March then touring