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{{short description|Play by Louise Page}} |
{{short description|Play by Louise Page}} |
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| place = [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]], [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] |
| place = [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]], [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] |
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| orig_lang = English |
| orig_lang = English |
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| series = |
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| subject = <!--The overall subject matter dealt with by the play--> |
| subject = <!--The overall subject matter dealt with by the play--> |
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| genre = <!--The play's genre--> |
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'''''Golden Girls''''' is a 1984 play by [[Louise Page]] that was commissioned by the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and was first performed at [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]], premiering on 20 June 1984, directed by [[Barry Kyle]]. Although Page's writing received a mixed critical reception, Kyle's direction was generally praised, and [[Josette Simon]]'s performance as Dorcas Ableman was acclaimed. The play addresses numerous themes including unfair treatment of women in sport, the difficulties of balancing a personal life with being an elite sportsperson, racism in advertising, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport. |
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'''Golden Girls''' is a 1984 play by [[Louise Page]]. |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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The British national women's hundred-metres relay team is currently training for an international event in Athens, with their coach and medical staff on hand. The team is sponsored by a cosmetics firm seeking to boost its sales. To enhance performance, the team doctor informs the athletes that they are being administered a new, undetectable fortifying drug, Hydromel. However, on the day of the event, the most ambitious of the athletes, Dorcas, decides to exceed the prescribed dose and is subsequently caught. Although the team wins the race, a scandal erupts. Dorcas receives a lifetime ban, but her ambition continues to haunt her.<ref>Sakellaridou 2009</ref> |
The British national women's hundred-metres relay team is currently training for an international event in Athens, with their coach and medical staff on hand. The team is sponsored by a cosmetics firm seeking to boost its sales. To enhance performance, the team doctor informs the athletes that they are being administered a new, undetectable fortifying drug, Hydromel. However, on the day of the event, the most ambitious of the athletes, Dorcas, decides to exceed the prescribed dose and is subsequently caught. Although the team wins the race, a scandal erupts. Dorcas receives a lifetime ban, but her ambition continues to haunt her.<ref>Sakellaridou 2009</ref> |
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==Cast and characters== |
==Cast and characters== |
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[[File:KennethBranaghJuly09.jpg|thumb|alt=A full-face photograph of a man|[[Kenneth Branagh]] ''(pictured in 2009)'' played Mike Bassett]] |
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{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
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|+Cast and characters of ''Golden Girls'' |
|+Cast and characters of ''Golden Girls'' |
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! scope="col" | Description |
! scope="col" | Description |
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! scope="col" | Original cast{{efn|At The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon; and Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne}}{{sfn|Page|1985|page=Cast list}} |
! scope="col" | Original cast{{efn|At The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon; and Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne}}{{sfn|Page|1985|page=Cast list}} |
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! scope="col" | London cast<ref name="RSCPIT">{{cite web |title=RSC Performances: Golden Girls |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/gol198504/view_as/grid/search/everywhere:-and-quotgolden-girls-and-quot/page/1 |website=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=21 May 2024 |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520233746/https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/gol198504/view_as/grid/search/everywhere:-and-quotgolden-girls-and-quot/page/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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! scope="col" | London cast |
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| Dorcas Ableman || black athlete || [[Josette Simon]] || |
| Dorcas Ableman || black athlete || [[Josette Simon]] || [[Josette Simon]] |
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|- |
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| Muriel Farr || black athlete || [[Alphonsia Emmanuel]] || |
| Muriel Farr || black athlete || [[Alphonsia Emmanuel]] || [[Alphonsia Emmanuel]] |
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| Pauline Peterson || white athlete || [[Katharine Rogers]] || |
| Pauline Peterson || white athlete || [[Katharine Rogers]] || [[Katharine Rogers]] |
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|- |
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| Sue Kinder || blonde white athlete || [[Kate Buffery]] || |
| Sue Kinder || blonde white athlete || [[Kate Buffery]] || Sarah Berger |
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|- |
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| Janet Morris || black athlete || [[Cathy Tyson]] || |
| Janet Morris || black athlete || [[Cathy Tyson]] || [[Cathy Tyson]] |
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|- |
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| Mike Bassett || white athlete || [[Kenneth Branagh]] || |
| Mike Bassett || white athlete || [[Kenneth Branagh]] || Martin Jacobs |
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| Laces Mackenzie || coach || [[Jimmy Yuill]] || |
| Laces Mackenzie || coach || [[Jimmy Yuill]] || [[Jimmy Yuill]] |
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|- |
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| Vivien Blackwood || doctor || Jennifer Piercey || |
| Vivien Blackwood || doctor || Jennifer Piercey || Jennifer Piercey |
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|- |
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| Noël Kinder || Sue Kinder's father || George Raistrick || |
| Noël Kinder || Sue Kinder's father || George Raistrick || George Raistrick |
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| Hilary Davenport || sponsor || [[Polly James]] || |
| Hilary Davenport || sponsor || [[Polly James]] || [[Polly James]] |
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|- |
|- |
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| Tom Billbow || |
| Tom Billbow || journalist || Derek Crewe || Derek Crewe |
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|- |
|- |
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| Hotel porter || white || Norman Henry || |
| Hotel porter || white || Norman Henry || Norman Henry |
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|- |
|- |
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| The golden girl || everything the name suggests|| Jan Revere || |
| The golden girl || everything the name suggests|| Jan Revere || Jan Revere |
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|} |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Background and development=== |
===Background and development=== |
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''Golden Girls'' was commissioned by the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] (RSC).{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}} Author [[Louise Page]] later reflected that writing Golden Girls, with a cast twice the size of what she had previously written, "was quite difficult{{nbsp}}... I sort of assumed it was going to be half the number of lines for twice the number of people – but it does not work that way at all! And I had to learn to write exit lines. One of the problems with having a lot of characters on stage is how you get them off again."{{sfn|Page|1990|p=175}} [[Kenneth Branagh]] wrote in his autobiography that before the script was available, as many of eight of his fellow cast members were under the impression that they were playing the lead.{{sfn|Branagh|1991|p=152}} He recalled that on the first day of rehearsals, the script had still not arrived, and as rehearsals progressed, "Louis's re-writes were arriving very slowly, and everyone was desperately throwing their weight around and implying that they might leave at any moment. The actors felt betrayed, Louise felt persecuted, and [director] [[Barry Kyle|Barry]]. I'm sure, felt both".{{sfn|Branagh|1991|p=153}} Branagh and castmate [[Jimmy Yuill]] trained with RSC member and fitness enthusiast [[Brian Blessed]] as part of their preparation for roles as athletes, while the actresses playing athletes took sprint training.{{sfn|Branagh|1991|pp=152–153}} Despite his concerns about the preparation and his own performance, Branagh considered that the first run of performances were successful, and pleased the audiences.{{sfn|Branagh|1991|p=153}} |
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Golden Girls was commissioned by the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]].{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}} |
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The central role of the Black runner Dorcas Ableman drew on Simon's own experience of being an athlete; Page later related that the play had been rewritten from an ensemble piece, as "the sheer dynamism Josette brought to the role meant that it was her journey through the play with which the audience identified".{{sfn|Richards|1993|page=247}} The play helped establish Page's reputation as a playwright.<ref name="ANS">{{cite web |first=André |last=Naffis-Sahely |author-link=André Naffis-Sahely |year=2010 |title=Louise Page |url=https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/louise-page |website=British Council Literature |access-date=20 May 2024 |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520230901/https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/louise-page |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Page later reflected that writing Golden Girls, with a cast twice the size of what she had previously written, "was quite difficult{{nbsp}}... I sort of assumed it was going to be half the number of lines for twice the number of people - but it does not work that way at all! And I had to learn to write exit lines. One of the problems with having a lot of characters on stage is how you get them off again."{{sfn|Page|1990|p=175}} |
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⚫ | |||
''Golden Girls'' was first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]], directed by [[Barry Kyle]], premiering on 20 June 1984.{{sfn|Page|1985|p=Cast list}} Kit Surrey was the [[Scenic design|designer]], costumes were by Allan Watkins, music was by [[Ilona Sekacz]], and lighting was by Wayne Dowdeswell.<ref>{{cite news |title=Theatre Week |newspaper=the Stage |date=14 June 1984 |page=7 }}</ref> The same cast performed the play at the Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 18 to 23 March 1985,<ref>{{cite web |title=RSC Performances: Golden Girls |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/gol198503 |website=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Isaacs |title=First prize for these runners |newspaper=Newcastle Journal |date=19 March 1985 |page=3 }}</ref> and it transferred, with some cast changes, to [[Barbican Centre|The Pit]] in London, where it played from 29 April to 10 September.{{sfn|Page|1985|page=Cast list}}<ref name="RSCPIT"/>{{sfn|Herbert|1986|page=24}} |
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A version amended by Page was presented at the [[Leeds Playhouse]] concurrently with the RSC's London run.<ref>{{cite news |first=R.L. |last=Reyner |title=Bending the rules |newspaper=The Stage |date=23 May 1985 |page=15}}</ref> Later that year, the [[New Wolsey Theatre|Wolsey Theatre]], [[Ipswich]] staged a production.<ref>{{cite news |title=Girls going all out for gold |newspaper=The Stage |date=7 November 1985 |page=8}}</ref> A two-part radio adaptation, written by Page, was broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] in May 1986.<ref name="BBCGG">{{cite web |title=The Afternoon Play: Golden Girls: Part 1 |website=BBC Programme Index |date=3 May 1986 |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/d1e7d45791554327bd261281d35af8d7 |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref> It was directed by [[Vanessa Whitburn]] and included [[Angela Wynter]] as Dorcas, [[Terry Molloy]] as Bassett, and Berger, Emmanuel and Yuill reprising their roles from the stage versions.<ref name="BBCGG"/>{{sfn|Page|1985|page=Cast list}}<ref name="RSCPIT"/> |
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[[Theatre Calgary]] presented the play in [[Theatre_Calgary_production_history#1986–1987|1986]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Kate |last=Zimmerman |title=TC plans contemporary season |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=23 April 1986 |page=D6 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-tc-plans-contemporary-sea/147791257/ |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Later productions have included those at the [[Belgrade Theatre]], [[Coventry]] (1986),<ref>{{cite news |first=Anne |last=FitzGerald |title=Bright girls run away with the gold medals |newspaper=The Stage |date=30 October 1986|page=23}}</ref> [[Perth]] (1989),<ref>{{cite news |first=Graham |last=Fulton |title=Perth: Golden Girls |newspaper=The Stage |date=13 April 1989 |page=15}}</ref> [[Sadler's Wells Theatre|The Lilian Baylis Theatre]], London (1992),<ref>{{cite news |title=Theatre Week |newspaper=The Stage |date=9 July 1992 |page=10}}</ref> and the [[Mercury Theatre, Colchester]] (1996),<ref>{{cite news |first=Liz |last=Mullen |title=Colchester: Golden Girls |newspaper=The Stage |date=2 May 1996 |page=14}}</ref> The play had its American premiere in 1987 with the [[South Coast Repertory]]'s production.<ref>{{cite news |first=Herman |last=Wong |title=South Coast rep to premiere two plays |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=16 July 1987 |page=VI.7 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-south-coast-rep-to/147791150/ |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> |
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The central role of a black runner drew on Simon's own experience of being an athlete; Page later related that the play had been rewritten from an ensemble piece, as "the sheer dynamism Josette brought to the role meant that it was her journey through the play with which the audience identified".{{sfn|Richards|1993|page=247 }} |
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The play helped establish Page's reputation as a playwright.<ref name="ANS">{{cite web |first=André |last=Naffis-Sahely |year=2010 |title=Louise Page |url=https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/louise-page |website=British Council Literature }}</ref> |
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⚫ | |||
Golden Girls was first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]], directed by [[Barry Kyle]], premiering on 20 June 1984.{{sfn|Page|1985|p=Cast list}} Kit Surrey was the [[Scenic design|designer]], costumes were by Allan Watkins, musi was by [[Ilona Sekacz]], and lighting was by Wayne Dowdeswell.<ref>{{cite news |title=Theatre Week |newspaper=the Stage |date=14 June 1984 |page=7 }}</ref> |
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Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 18 to 23 March. |
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<ref>{{cite web |title=RSC Performances: Golden Girls |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/gol198503 |website=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=David |lst=Isaacs |title=First prize for these runners |newspaper=Newcastle Journal |date=19 March 1985 |page=3 }}</ref> |
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The Pit, 29 April to 10 September{{sfn|Herbert|1986|page=24}} |
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<ref>{{cite web | url=https://theatricalia.com/play/gz/golden-girls | title=Golden Girls | Theatricalia }}</ref> |
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1984 |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19840614/103/0017 |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19840712/110/0011 |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000636/19840720/632/0063 |
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1985 |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19850516/067/0009 |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19850523/094/0015 Leeds |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19851107/062/0008 Ipswich |
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1986 |
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Coventry https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19861030/140/0023 |
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1989 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19890413/089/0015 |
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1992 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19920709/059/0010 |
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1996 Mercury<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/mercury-voices/programme-for-golden-girls-by-louise-page/ | title=Programme for 'Golden girls' by Louise Page }}</ref> |
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001637/19960502/094/0014 |
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==Themes== |
==Themes== |
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Page commented that she wanted to write a play about the "politics of sport" and that ''Golden Girls'' was "about desire and ambition and the ambition to be absolutely the best."<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas |last=de Jongh |author-link=Nicholas de Jongh |title=Golden girl |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 May 1984 |page=11 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-golden-girl/147790681/ |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Like her other plays of the early 1980s, ''Golden Girls'' was critical of the [[Social class in the United Kingdom|UK's class system]], favouring [[Socialist]] values in opposition to the materialistic values of [[Thatcherism]].<ref name="ANS"/> The play can be regarded as a comedy, as it uses irony while lacking traditional comic themes.{{sfn|Öğütcü|2019|p=872}} |
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⚫ | Themes of the play include the unfair treatment of women in sport, the difficulties of balancing a personal life with being an elite sportsperson, racism in advertising, the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport, and sport psychology.{{sfn|Bartleet|2021|p=375}}{{sfn|Öğütcü|2019|p=871}} When the sponsor's representative declares that the team should be mainly white, "the resulting dialogue evokes the [[Anti-Apartheid Movement|anti-Apartheid]] mood of the time, which saw South African teams banned from international competitions."<ref name="ANS"/> |
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The play is about women and their ambitions.<ref name="ANS"/> |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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⚫ | Page's writing of ''Golden Girls'' received a mixed critical reception, while the response to Kyle's direction was largely positive.{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}} ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' critic Eric Shorter praised the cast's efforts but felt that the play suffered from overly slow pacing,<ref>{{cite news |last=Shorter |first=Eric |title=Athletics at a jog |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123142909/athletics-at-a-jog-golden-girls-review/ |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 June 1984 |page=13 |access-date=19 April 2023 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419114422/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123142909/athletics-at-a-jog-golden-girls-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while [[Mel Gussow]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that "the play has intelligence and momentum"<ref>{{cite news |first=Mel |last=Gussow |author-link=Mel Gussow |date=12 August 1984 |title=Stratford keeps its kingly standards |newspaper=The New York Times |page=2.5 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/12/arts/stratford-keeps-its-kingly-standards.html |access-date=17 May 2024 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517224122/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/12/arts/stratford-keeps-its-kingly-standards.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Page's writing of ''Golden Girls'' received a mixed critical reception, while the response to Kyle's direction was largely positive.{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}} Simon's performance was "unanimously praised" according to the literature scholar Kurt Eisen.{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}} |
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[[Sheridan Morley]] of ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'', ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]''{{'}}s [[Nicholas de Jongh]], and Gussow commended the interplay of multiple themes;{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}}<ref name="LTR">{{cite magazine |editor-first=Ian |editor-last=Herbert |title=Golden Girls |magazine=London Theatre Record |date=24 April 1984 |pages=397–399}}</ref> but [[Ros Asquith]] in ''[[The Observer]]''<ref>{{cite news |last=Asquith |first=Ros |author-link=Ros Asquith |title=Short back and throat |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-short-back-and-throat/125595689/ |newspaper=The Observer |date=12 May 1985 |page=17}}</ref> Jim Hiley of ''[[The Listener (magazine)|The Listener]]'' and Anne McFerran of ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' disagreed, complaining that there were too many strands in the play.{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}}<ref name="LTR"/> |
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Simon Plays & Players best actress<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbashakespeare.warwick.ac.uk/people/josette-simon | title=Josette Simon | BBA Shakespeare }}</ref> |
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⚫ | Starring as Dorcas Ableman was breakthrough role for Josette Simon.{{sfn|Rogers|2022|loc=chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "Dorcas Ableman"}}{{sfn|Richards|1993|page=247 }} The ''[[Financial Times]]'' reviewer [[Michael Coveney]] wrote that "The immense power and beauty of this actress is at last given proper opportunity by the RSC."<ref>{{cite news |last=Coveney |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Coveney |title=The Arts: Golden Girls/The Other Place |date=21 June 1984 |newspaper=Financial Times |page=23}}</ref> [[Ros Asquith]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' felt that Simon's performance was |
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⚫ | ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' critic Eric Shorter praised the cast's efforts but felt that the play suffered from overly slow pacing |
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"the play has intelligence and momentum"<ref>{{cite news |first=Mel |last=Gussow |date=12 August 1984 |title=Stratford keeps its kingly standards |newspaper=The New York Times |page=2.5 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/12/arts/stratford-keeps-its-kingly-standards.html}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Starring as Dorcas Ableman was a breakthrough role for Josette Simon.{{sfn|Rogers|2022|loc=chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "Dorcas Ableman"}}{{sfn|Richards|1993|page=247}} Her performance was "unanimously praised" according to the literature scholar Kurt Eisen;{{sfn|Eisen|1996|p=294}} she won the ''Plays & Players'' magazine award for best actress<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbashakespeare.warwick.ac.uk/people/josette-simon | title=Josette Simon |website=BBA Shakespeare |access-date=21 May 2024 }}</ref> The ''[[Financial Times]]'' reviewer [[Michael Coveney]] wrote that "The immense power and beauty of this actress is at last given proper opportunity by the RSC."<ref>{{cite news |last=Coveney |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Coveney |title=The Arts: Golden Girls/The Other Place |date=21 June 1984 |newspaper=Financial Times |page=23}}</ref> [[Ros Asquith]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' felt that Simon's performance was among the most thrilling in London.<ref>{{cite news |last=Asquith |first=Ros |author-link=Ros Asquith |title=Short back and throat |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-short-back-and-throat/125595689/ |newspaper=The Observer |date=12 May 1985 |page=17 |access-date=17 May 2024 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604101518/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-short-back-and-throat/125595689/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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'''Books''' |
'''Books''' |
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*{{cite book |last=Branagh |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Branagh |title=Beginning |year=1991 |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn= |
*{{cite book |last=Branagh |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Branagh |title=Beginning |year=1991 |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-05822-7}} |
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*{{cite book |editor-last=Demastes |editor-first=William W. |last=Eisen |first=Kurt |chapter=Louise Page |title=British Playwrights, 1956-1995: a Research and Production sourcebook |year=1996 |location=Westport |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn= |
*{{cite book |editor-last=Demastes |editor-first=William W. |last=Eisen |first=Kurt |chapter=Louise Page |title=British Playwrights, 1956-1995: a Research and Production sourcebook |year=1996 |location=Westport |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-28759-6 |pages=291–300}} |
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*{{cite book |editor-first=Ian |editor-last=Herbert |chapter=Productions of the Year 1985 |title=London Theatre Record Index 1985 |year=1986 |publisher=London Theatre Record |page=24 |isbn= |
*{{cite book |editor-first=Ian |editor-last=Herbert |chapter=Productions of the Year 1985 |title=London Theatre Record Index 1985 |year=1986 |publisher=London Theatre Record |page=24 |isbn=978-0-907945-04-8}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Page |first=Louise |title=Golden Girls |year=1985 |location=London |publisher=Methuen |isbn= |
*{{cite book |last=Page |first=Louise |author-link=Louise Page |title=Golden Girls |year=1985 |location=London |publisher=Methuen |isbn=978-0-413-57960-7}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Sandra |year=1993 |chapter=The Recent Actress |title=The Rise of the English Actress |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-09930-6_11 |isbn=978-1-349-09930-6 |pages=230–260 }} |
*{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Sandra |year=1993 |chapter=The Recent Actress |title=The Rise of the English Actress |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-09930-6_11 |isbn=978-1-349-09930-6 |pages=230–260 }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Jami |title=British Black and Asian Shakespeareans: Integrating Shakespeare, 1966–2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |edition=ebook |isbn=978-1-350-11293-3 |year=2022 }} |
*{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Jami |title=British Black and Asian Shakespeareans: Integrating Shakespeare, 1966–2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |edition=ebook |isbn=978-1-350-11293-3 |year=2022 }} |
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'''Journal articles''' |
'''Journal articles''' |
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*{{cite journal |first=Carina |last=Bartleet |title=Backpages 31.3: In Memoriam: Louise Page (1955- 2020) |journal=Contemporary Theatre Review |year=2021 |volume=31 |number=3 |pages=364–379 |doi=10.1080/10486801.2021.1935026}} |
*{{cite journal |first=Carina |last=Bartleet |title=Backpages 31.3: In Memoriam: Louise Page (1955- 2020) |journal=Contemporary Theatre Review |year=2021 |volume=31 |number=3 |pages=364–379 |doi=10.1080/10486801.2021.1935026}} |
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*{{cite journal |first=Murat |last=Öğütcü |title=The Politics of Sports in Louise Page's Golden Girls |date=December 2019 |journal=Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi |volume=59 |issue=2 |pages=871–882 |doi=10.33171/dtcfjournal.2019.59.2.8}} |
*{{cite journal |first=Murat |last=Öğütcü |title=The Politics of Sports in Louise Page's Golden Girls |date=December 2019 |journal=Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi |volume=59 |issue=2 |pages=871–882 |doi=10.33171/dtcfjournal.2019.59.2.8|doi-access=free }} |
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*{{cite journal |last=Page |first=Louise |title=Emotion Is a Theatrical Weapon |journal=New Theatre Quarterly |volume=6 |issue=22 |year=1990 |pages=174–182 |doi=10.1017/S0266464X00004243}} |
*{{cite journal |last=Page |first=Louise |author-link=Louise Page |title=Emotion Is a Theatrical Weapon |journal=New Theatre Quarterly |volume=6 |issue=22 |year=1990 |pages=174–182 |doi=10.1017/S0266464X00004243}} |
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hopefully... |
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[[Category:1984 plays]] |
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*{{cite book |first=Michelene |last=Wandor |title=Carry On Understudies: Theatre and Sexual Politics |location=London |publisher=Routledge and Kegan Paul |year=1986}} |
Revision as of 05:30, 27 May 2024
Golden Girls | |
---|---|
Written by | Louise Page |
Date premiered | 20 June 1984 |
Place premiered | The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon |
Original language | English |
Setting |
|
Golden Girls is a 1984 play by Louise Page that was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and was first performed at The Other Place, premiering on 20 June 1984, directed by Barry Kyle. Although Page's writing received a mixed critical reception, Kyle's direction was generally praised, and Josette Simon's performance as Dorcas Ableman was acclaimed. The play addresses numerous themes including unfair treatment of women in sport, the difficulties of balancing a personal life with being an elite sportsperson, racism in advertising, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
Plot
The British national women's hundred-metres relay team is currently training for an international event in Athens, with their coach and medical staff on hand. The team is sponsored by a cosmetics firm seeking to boost its sales. To enhance performance, the team doctor informs the athletes that they are being administered a new, undetectable fortifying drug, Hydromel. However, on the day of the event, the most ambitious of the athletes, Dorcas, decides to exceed the prescribed dose and is subsequently caught. Although the team wins the race, a scandal erupts. Dorcas receives a lifetime ban, but her ambition continues to haunt her.[1]
Cast and characters
![A full-face photograph of a man](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/KennethBranaghJuly09.jpg/220px-KennethBranaghJuly09.jpg)
Character | Description | Original cast[a][2] | London cast[3] |
---|---|---|---|
Dorcas Ableman | black athlete | Josette Simon | Josette Simon |
Muriel Farr | black athlete | Alphonsia Emmanuel | Alphonsia Emmanuel |
Pauline Peterson | white athlete | Katharine Rogers | Katharine Rogers |
Sue Kinder | blonde white athlete | Kate Buffery | Sarah Berger |
Janet Morris | black athlete | Cathy Tyson | Cathy Tyson |
Mike Bassett | white athlete | Kenneth Branagh | Martin Jacobs |
Laces Mackenzie | coach | Jimmy Yuill | Jimmy Yuill |
Vivien Blackwood | doctor | Jennifer Piercey | Jennifer Piercey |
Noël Kinder | Sue Kinder's father | George Raistrick | George Raistrick |
Hilary Davenport | sponsor | Polly James | Polly James |
Tom Billbow | journalist | Derek Crewe | Derek Crewe |
Hotel porter | white | Norman Henry | Norman Henry |
The golden girl | everything the name suggests | Jan Revere | Jan Revere |
History
Background and development
Golden Girls was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).[4] Author Louise Page later reflected that writing Golden Girls, with a cast twice the size of what she had previously written, "was quite difficult ... I sort of assumed it was going to be half the number of lines for twice the number of people – but it does not work that way at all! And I had to learn to write exit lines. One of the problems with having a lot of characters on stage is how you get them off again."[5] Kenneth Branagh wrote in his autobiography that before the script was available, as many of eight of his fellow cast members were under the impression that they were playing the lead.[6] He recalled that on the first day of rehearsals, the script had still not arrived, and as rehearsals progressed, "Louis's re-writes were arriving very slowly, and everyone was desperately throwing their weight around and implying that they might leave at any moment. The actors felt betrayed, Louise felt persecuted, and [director] Barry. I'm sure, felt both".[7] Branagh and castmate Jimmy Yuill trained with RSC member and fitness enthusiast Brian Blessed as part of their preparation for roles as athletes, while the actresses playing athletes took sprint training.[8] Despite his concerns about the preparation and his own performance, Branagh considered that the first run of performances were successful, and pleased the audiences.[7]
The central role of the Black runner Dorcas Ableman drew on Simon's own experience of being an athlete; Page later related that the play had been rewritten from an ensemble piece, as "the sheer dynamism Josette brought to the role meant that it was her journey through the play with which the audience identified".[9] The play helped establish Page's reputation as a playwright.[10]
Productions
Golden Girls was first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, directed by Barry Kyle, premiering on 20 June 1984.[2] Kit Surrey was the designer, costumes were by Allan Watkins, music was by Ilona Sekacz, and lighting was by Wayne Dowdeswell.[11] The same cast performed the play at the Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 18 to 23 March 1985,[12][13] and it transferred, with some cast changes, to The Pit in London, where it played from 29 April to 10 September.[2][3][14]
A version amended by Page was presented at the Leeds Playhouse concurrently with the RSC's London run.[15] Later that year, the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich staged a production.[16] A two-part radio adaptation, written by Page, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1986.[17] It was directed by Vanessa Whitburn and included Angela Wynter as Dorcas, Terry Molloy as Bassett, and Berger, Emmanuel and Yuill reprising their roles from the stage versions.[17][2][3]
Theatre Calgary presented the play in 1986.[18] Later productions have included those at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (1986),[19] Perth (1989),[20] The Lilian Baylis Theatre, London (1992),[21] and the Mercury Theatre, Colchester (1996),[22] The play had its American premiere in 1987 with the South Coast Repertory's production.[23]
Themes
Page commented that she wanted to write a play about the "politics of sport" and that Golden Girls was "about desire and ambition and the ambition to be absolutely the best."[24] Like her other plays of the early 1980s, Golden Girls was critical of the UK's class system, favouring Socialist values in opposition to the materialistic values of Thatcherism.[10] The play can be regarded as a comedy, as it uses irony while lacking traditional comic themes.[25]
Themes of the play include the unfair treatment of women in sport, the difficulties of balancing a personal life with being an elite sportsperson, racism in advertising, the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport, and sport psychology.[26][27] When the sponsor's representative declares that the team should be mainly white, "the resulting dialogue evokes the anti-Apartheid mood of the time, which saw South African teams banned from international competitions."[10]
Reception
Page's writing of Golden Girls received a mixed critical reception, while the response to Kyle's direction was largely positive.[4] The Daily Telegraph critic Eric Shorter praised the cast's efforts but felt that the play suffered from overly slow pacing,[28] while Mel Gussow of The New York Times wrote that "the play has intelligence and momentum"[29]
Sheridan Morley of Punch, The Mail on Sunday's Nicholas de Jongh, and Gussow commended the interplay of multiple themes;[4][30] but Ros Asquith in The Observer[31] Jim Hiley of The Listener and Anne McFerran of Time Out disagreed, complaining that there were too many strands in the play.[4][30]
Starring as Dorcas Ableman was a breakthrough role for Josette Simon.[32][9] Her performance was "unanimously praised" according to the literature scholar Kurt Eisen;[4] she won the Plays & Players magazine award for best actress[33] The Financial Times reviewer Michael Coveney wrote that "The immense power and beauty of this actress is at last given proper opportunity by the RSC."[34] Ros Asquith of The Observer felt that Simon's performance was among the most thrilling in London.[35]
Notes
- ^ At The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon; and Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
References
- ^ Sakellaridou 2009
- ^ a b c d Page 1985, p. Cast list.
- ^ a b c "RSC Performances: Golden Girls". Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Eisen 1996, p. 294.
- ^ Page 1990, p. 175.
- ^ Branagh 1991, p. 152.
- ^ a b Branagh 1991, p. 153.
- ^ Branagh 1991, pp. 152–153.
- ^ a b Richards 1993, p. 247.
- ^ a b c Naffis-Sahely, André (2010). "Louise Page". British Council Literature. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ "Theatre Week". the Stage. 14 June 1984. p. 7.
- ^ "RSC Performances: Golden Girls". Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Isaacs, David (19 March 1985). "First prize for these runners". Newcastle Journal. p. 3.
- ^ Herbert 1986, p. 24.
- ^ Reyner, R.L. (23 May 1985). "Bending the rules". The Stage. p. 15.
- ^ "Girls going all out for gold". The Stage. 7 November 1985. p. 8.
- ^ a b "The Afternoon Play: Golden Girls: Part 1". BBC Programme Index. 3 May 1986. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Zimmerman, Kate (23 April 1986). "TC plans contemporary season". Calgary Herald. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ FitzGerald, Anne (30 October 1986). "Bright girls run away with the gold medals". The Stage. p. 23.
- ^ Fulton, Graham (13 April 1989). "Perth: Golden Girls". The Stage. p. 15.
- ^ "Theatre Week". The Stage. 9 July 1992. p. 10.
- ^ Mullen, Liz (2 May 1996). "Colchester: Golden Girls". The Stage. p. 14.
- ^ Wong, Herman (16 July 1987). "South Coast rep to premiere two plays". Los Angeles Times. p. VI.7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ de Jongh, Nicholas (4 May 1984). "Golden girl". The Guardian. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Öğütcü 2019, p. 872.
- ^ Bartleet 2021, p. 375.
- ^ Öğütcü 2019, p. 871.
- ^ Shorter, Eric (22 June 1984). "Athletics at a jog". The Daily Telegraph. p. 13. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Gussow, Mel (12 August 1984). "Stratford keeps its kingly standards". The New York Times. p. 2.5. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ a b Herbert, Ian, ed. (24 April 1984). "Golden Girls". London Theatre Record. pp. 397–399.
- ^ Asquith, Ros (12 May 1985). "Short back and throat". The Observer. p. 17.
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "Dorcas Ableman".
- ^ "Josette Simon". BBA Shakespeare. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Coveney, Michael (21 June 1984). "The Arts: Golden Girls/The Other Place". Financial Times. p. 23.
- ^ Asquith, Ros (12 May 1985). "Short back and throat". The Observer. p. 17. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
Books
- Branagh, Kenneth (1991). Beginning. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-05822-7.
- Eisen, Kurt (1996). "Louise Page". In Demastes, William W. (ed.). British Playwrights, 1956-1995: a Research and Production sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Press. pp. 291–300. ISBN 978-0-313-28759-6.
- Herbert, Ian, ed. (1986). "Productions of the Year 1985". London Theatre Record Index 1985. London Theatre Record. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-907945-04-8.
- Page, Louise (1985). Golden Girls. London: Methuen. ISBN 978-0-413-57960-7.
- Richards, Sandra (1993). "The Recent Actress". The Rise of the English Actress. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 230–260. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-09930-6_11. ISBN 978-1-349-09930-6.
- Rogers, Jami (2022). British Black and Asian Shakespeareans: Integrating Shakespeare, 1966–2018 (ebook ed.). London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-350-11293-3.
Journal articles
- Bartleet, Carina (2021). "Backpages 31.3: In Memoriam: Louise Page (1955- 2020)". Contemporary Theatre Review. 31 (3): 364–379. doi:10.1080/10486801.2021.1935026.
- Öğütcü, Murat (December 2019). "The Politics of Sports in Louise Page's Golden Girls". Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi. 59 (2): 871–882. doi:10.33171/dtcfjournal.2019.59.2.8.
- Page, Louise (1990). "Emotion Is a Theatrical Weapon". New Theatre Quarterly. 6 (22): 174–182. doi:10.1017/S0266464X00004243.