PLAY EXPLORES THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY
BRAVE GIRL ★★★
Book, music and lyrics by: Emily Dallas
Directed by: Valmai Goggins
Musical direction by: Joe Slabe
At: Lunchbox until Nov. 10
It’s remarkable enough that Lunchbox Theatre is the longestrunning lunchtime theatre company in the world. Couple that with the fact a third of everything Lunchbox presents are original works, most of which are developed through its Stage One Festival of New Works and there is much to celebrate.
The latest show created specifically for Lunchbox Theatre is Brave Girl, a musical with book, music and lyrics by Emily Dallas of Calgary, which runs until Nov. 10.
Co-produced with Forte Musical Theatre Guild, Brave Girl takes an unwavering look at the role of women in the military and especially how women are often still treated as second-class warriors.
At a young age, sisters Sam (Jessica Eckstadt) and Amy (Tara Jackson) lose their father to a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. When they are old enough, the sisters enlist in the Canadian infantry to honour their father’s legacy and to serve their country. Amy is assigned to a platoon where her sex is never an issue and where the men not only respect her, but support her completely. Sam’s basic training is a nightmare. She is bullied, hazed and demeaned by the men in her platoon and she receives little support from her female commanding officer (played by Elinor Holt). The cruel irony is Sam is the one who actually wanted to be a soldier whereas Amy was just trying to emulate her sister. Perhaps the hardships Sam endures are what eventually make her a success when she finally reaches Afghanistan.
Sam and Amy’s stories are told through short scenes bridged by nine songs.
What Dallas is trying to do is better suited to film than stage, but director Valmai Goggin and designer Kathryn Smith have done much to compensate. Smith has created a mini obstacle course whose pieces double for everything from beds and tables to a jeep, and Goggin keeps her three actors moving effortlessly over and among them.
There is a tense, steely quality to Eckstadt’s Sam that is at odds with Jackson’s easygoing Amy. This is an effective choice because, though they are sisters, Sam and Amy are not mirror images of each other.
The sisters’ relationship is what creates tension in the play because the story is told as a flashback, meaning the audience knows both sisters return home eventually so there is little real tension in the action.
Holt not only plays the commanding officer, but a soldier in Amy’s platoon and the sisters’ mother. Holt brings beautiful pathos to the mother’s song Frozen.
Dallas has written Sam’s songs in Eckstadt’s highest register, probably to reinforce the idea that Sam is so intense and strident. Jackson has more range to work with in Amy’s songs and there is a more robust quality to her style.
Dallas’s exceptional talents are showcased best when the three actors sing together as in Boys Club and in the duets between Jackson and Eckstadt, especially in Stronger Together and the show’s signature song, Brave Girl.
Holt, Eckstadt and Jackson are accompanied by musical director Joe Slabe, who ensures the songs feel integral to the action and not simply dropped in.
Dallas has as much to say about fighting family battles as she does about serving on a mission for Canada, which should make Brave Girl more easily accessible to Lunchbox audiences.