Berkoff's Women
Linda Marlowe
Directed by Josie Lawrence
Until Sun 16 March


It's fortunate that Linda Marlowe is such a bloody good actor; there are few who could carry off this homage to Stephen Berkoff's view of what he thinks women are like.

Bustling breathily onto the stage, Marlowe immediately makes it clear that the audience are not to be passive viewers; well, not the young men in the front row anyhow. Marlowe bolted through her finger pointing, angry Clytemnestra, but soon settled into a spitting, soothing, cajoling, bitter woman, changing moods as the monologues required.

Marlowe has a remarkable physicality, her slight frame filling the space. She has a wonderful bent for comedic expression and some of Berkoff's writing allow full rein to that bent (I Wish I Was A Bloke) as she waved her imaginary penis about. Penises feature often; Berkoff apparently thinks that women think about them as much as men do (I won't tell him if you don't); it can get a bit tiresome as they're swallowed, sucked, tugged, rubbed, wanked, pissed out of and generally adored. Only in The Fox Hunter (from 'Decadence' )is there some relief from the interminable dick; a bit of masturbation on horseback is more the order of the day in this highlight of the show.

Marlowe however is unstoppable and one does not tire of this talented ball of energy - not even the boys in the front row.

Arna Eyers-White