GIRLS NIGHT: The Musical

by Louise Roche

 

Downstairs at Sofia’s, 221 West 46th St. New York City. June 2010

 

Reviewed by Ron Gross, www.nytheaterguide.com

  

BOTTOM LINE: Our highest recommendation! I’ve never seen an audience enjoy a musical more than at this touching and hilarious romp. 

 

There was a table of six having a bachelorette party, a mom and her two 20-something daughters, and a banquette of boisterous gals sporting pink feather boas who were often on their feet, stampin’ and hootin’ and having the time of their lives.   

 

I was too. And so will your racier attendees.

Girls Night follows five friends in their 30s and 40s during a wild and outrageous girls night out at a karaoke bar. Pals since their teens, they have all had their fair share of heartache and tragedy, joy and success. Oh – one of them’s (gulp) dead – she’s wearing white angel wings, can’t be heard by the others, and can remember everything about their embarrassing moments together. 

Among the living are Carol the party girl, blunt Anita who tells it like it is, Liza with her marital (and eating) issues, boring Kate the designated driver and Sharon, the not-so-angelic angel who just couldn't resist tagging along. Together, they reminisce about their younger days, celebrate their current lives and look to the future, all the while belting out an array of classic anthems.

The cast is sensational: they project more energy and enjoyment than most ensembles currently on Broadway. But they are not standard showbiz beauties; in fact they are definitely on the pulchritudinous side, and they jiggle their stuff with wonderful comic and erotic effect.

If the show were a cocktail, it’d be made up of two parts Sex and the City, one part Desperate Housewives, and a dash of Grease. Backstage said that it “involves the audience in a way that the current Broadway cast of Hair in its earnestness, can only envy.”

The show brims with over a dozen rousing or deeply moving songs, from classics like Cry Me a River and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, to less renowned but equally delightful tunes like The Love of My Man by Ed Townsend and It’s Raining Men by Jabara and Shaffer.

Berty Jay leads the company as Liza, who can’t bear to limit her immense joy in living (to say nothing of her immense T & A) to just her husband.   But kudos all around: Tina Mallon is bewitching as Sharon, Carly Sakolove is ebullient as fun-loving Carol, Deborah Radikiff is terrific as Anita, and Laurie Gardner is disturbingly authentic as the troubled Kate.

The shananegens are masterfully managed by director Jack Randle.

Girls Night is a perfect addition to your Spousal Offerings, especially for those gals who welcome language and sentiments that jolt you out of your seat!

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Raucous ‘Girls Night’ fun for all
8 August 2008 - WORCESTER, MA.

The estrogen level of “Girls Night: The Musical” did everything it could to blow the roof off of the palatial Hanover Theatre Wednesday night.

Louise Roche’s funny, raunchy and touching celebration of indomitable female friendship is part anthem, part confessional and all party. It’s a blissful blitzkrieg of song, dance and memory for every woman in the audience — just about everybody — and a primer for the few brave attending men curious enough to know what women really talk about when we’re not around. Or more to the point, how they talk about it.

Sex, men, marriage, children and tampons are just a few of the topics discussed in graphic, often hilarious detail. Roche has an uncanny ability to weave these subjects together with a seemingly improvisational verve that, for the most part, nimbly sidesteps weary cliché, punctuating her female esprit de corps with shrewdly chosen songs that range from plaintive (“At Seventeen”) to martial (“I Will Survive”).

It’s about four 40-ish friends who meet at a karaoke bar, reminisce about a fifth friend who died falling off the back of a moped 22 years ago, as they wait for her daughter to show up. Liza (Sonya Carter) is rife with doubt about her marriage to wealthy Richard. Her father left her mother and, bottling up her feelings, she feels Richard will do the same. Carol (Renee Colvert) is the complicated one, twice married and divorced and looking for the ultimate Mr. Right. Anita (Justine Hall) is a dynamo on the verge of some sort of nervous breakdown, hooked on pills and hopelessly devoted to her husband, Jeff. Kate (Whitney Kathleen Vigil) is the geeky designated driver of the bunch just itching to cut loose, get drunk and see what — or who — the night brings, without hubby Steve finding out.

Hovering and gliding around them with angel’s wings and a white jumpsuit is sassy and vivacious Sharon (Crystal Kellogg). It’s her job to give us the biographical lowdown on her still living gal pals and listen in on what they’re saying about her.

Yes, yes, this is musical theater’s supreme equivalent of what the male of the species refers to disdainfully in the movie world as the dreaded chick flick. But wait, guys. What keeps “Girls Night: The Musical” from being a pallid pajama party yuckfest is the sheer exuberance of this remarkable cast under Jack Randle’s bracing direction. Everyone performs with raucous physical suggestiveness, disarmingly opulent verbal candor and raw, earthy charm.

It’s highly unlikely you’ve seen “Lady Marmalade” sung with a male blow-up doll for a prop — until now. Since this is a show about women singing at a karaoke bar, it isn’t clear at times if the singing is deliberately off-key or not, but Vigil does it with great comedic instincts on “Holding Out for a Hero” and “Cry Me a River.” For pure vocal dazzle, Hall takes honours for her growling, purring, sinewy mastery of “The Love of My Man.” Carter reflects Liza’s withholding nature beautifully on “Don’t Cry Out Loud.” “We Are Family” may be the ideal song to depict the solidarity of these tested friendships, but it’s Carter’s stirring lead on the clarion majesty of “I Will Survive” that brought the audience to its feet, clapping and whooping with delight and resolve. Men beware — even you may join the crowd.

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Broadway Series South: Girls Night: The Musical

Raleigh, North Carolina - Friday, April 04, 2008

In Betsy Kelso's zesty U.S. adaptation of British playwright Louise Roche's hilarious and, at times, poignant musical henfest, Girls Night: The Musical, you find five fortyish female friends letting their hair down during a wild night at a karaoke bar.

Last night, this uproarious musical comedy, produced by Entertainment Events Inc. and Robert Dragotta of New York City and presented April 1 - 6 by Broadway Series South, had the mostly female audience in A.J. Fletcher Opera Theatre rocking, from its opening number - Diana Ross' "Remember Me" (1971) to its exuberant encore of Gloria Gaynor's 1978 chart-topper "I Will Survive." Sisterhood is powerful - and some of the stock situations - relationship problems. unwanted pregnancies, etc. - confronting these four high-school friends are all-too-familiar.

Sonya Carter as rich but lonely Liza, Justine Hall as pill-popping Anita, Renee Colvert as party-hearty-girl Carol, and Whitney Kathleen Vigil as Carol's nerdy little sister Kate rendezvous in the karaoke bar to hold an impromptu bridal shower for the never-seen daughter of their dead friend Sharon (Crystal Kellogg), who died ignominiously 22 years when she fell off a moped. Looking like a ghostly disco queen with a pair of glitter-edged angel's wings sprouting from the back of her white jumpsuit, Sharon serves as the show's narrator and proves time and time again that she's no "angel" in the Rev. Billy Graham sense of the word.

Crystal Kellogg's irreverent impersonation of Sharon; Renee Colvert's wisecracking characterisation of Carol; and Sonya's touching portrayal of poor Liza, the most desperate housewife of them all, royally entertained the Wednesday audience. They saluted the show with a standing ovation at the end of the final curtain.

But it is Justine Hall as the overmedicated Anita and Whitney Vigil as the ugly duckling-turned-beautiful swan Kate who steal the show with their outrageous antics. Indeed, Vigil's goofy, gawky Kate is the most spastic dancer since Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld" (1989-98). Kate's transformation after a night of heavy drinking and bruising girl talk, from an uptight Miss Goody Two Shoes into a shameless barroom flirt is truly remarkable.

The evening's musical highlights include robust renditions of Theola Kilgore's "The Love of My Man," Patti LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" (1974), and Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud" (1978).

Director Jack Randle's clever musical staging helps the cast transform their predictable parts from caricatures into truly unforgettable characters. The imaginative set of Shaun L. Motley, which opens up to reveal more intimate conversations in the bar's ladies' room, combines with the striking costumes of Karl Ruckdeschel and lighting of Jennifer Kules to make Girls Night: The Musical truly sparkle.  

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Girls Night: The Musical

Columbus, Ohio - Friday, May 30, 2008 by Dwayne Steward 'Newark Advocate'

I must say I was pleasantly surprised after dragging my baby-booming, starch-conservative mother out to "Girls Night: The Musical" last night. Though lacking slightly in artistic value, it was in this error that it showed strength, unapologetically ploughing through any sort of "rightness" while capitalising on the "myth" of girl-power beyond a certain age. It even sent my Pentecostal mother on a laughing spree after introducing a well-endowed inflatable man into a dance number - a feat that definitely deserves some recognition.

Louise Roche's British phenomenon, still on its climb in the States, took the packed Southern Theatre audience by storm as it followed Liza (Sonya Carter), Anita (Justine Hall), Carol (Renee Colvert) and Kate (Whitney Kathleen Vigil) on a "typical" girls night out on the town. The musical borrowed classic 80's hits (and dance moves) as the story navigated through the girls' story line. Sharon (Crystal Kellogg), a childhood friend killed in a motorcycle accident 20 years earlier, narrated the clique's sometimes jaded past, clad in an all-white Madonna / Michael influenced ensemble, complete with the rhinestoned mini jacket, pump tennis shoes and tight straight-legged pants. A pair of glittered wings completed the outfit.

Though the draw for the packed house, the 80's aura wasn't what drove the play towards success, it was the overwhelming authenticity of the characters. Most notable were Vigil and Colvert, whose chemistry - as the conflicting, yet loving, sisters Kate and Carol, respectively - stole the show. The plot negotiated between the comedic and the dramatic, though jarring at times (transitioning from Carol's tear-jerking marital tragedy to the pop tune "I'm Every Woman"), keeping the plot on a steady incline.

Each woman had their time to shine, with Kellogg employing the perfect comedic shtick needed to pull off the sassy, mischievous and ultimately misguided Sharon. Hall's portrayal of the sometimes unstable Anita was a true embodiment of a woman on the brink. She also took the award for best vocal of the night, her power ballads eliciting overwhelming reactions from the audience. And Carter definitely looked comfortable in the skin of ever-pleasing Liza, proving why she was brought back for the show's second tour. Complete with a decked out club scene, dripping in pink fur and a disco ball as its set, the cast broke that fourth wall at times to engage the crowd in the atmosphere. A few scenes were accompanied by a large number of patrons standing, clapping and dancing in the aisles.

Taking its cue from the comedic stylings of "Desperate Housewives" and "Sex in the City," "Girls Night: The Musical" simply offers good music and a good time, with a no-holds-barred look at women in their 40's. And if it can get mom to laugh at a few raunchy jokes that would make even Will Ferrell squirm (lest we forget the blow up doll), then its got to be doing something right.

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Leave The Man at Home For Fun Musical

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana - By Emily Kern Herbert - 'The Advocate'

Think just as funny and raunchy as "Sex in the City," although definitely not as sophisticated. The plot of "Girls Night: The Musical" involves a group of 40-ish friends who meet up at their favourite karaoke bar to celebrate a daughter's engagement. No one seems to mind that the bride-to-be never shows, however, and the old friends experience a wild night of singing, dancing and reminiscing about their teenage years. Unlike "Sex in the City," the audience isn't drooling over the high fashion stiletto heels worn by the main characters. In fact, Sharon, the narrator playing a two-decades deceased friend watching over the group as an angel, wears a white denim jacket, white jeans rolled tight at the bottom and high-top tennis shoes. "Girls Night" does provide that same feeling that the women in the show are more like sisters than friends. I

Interspersed with dialogue, the characters take turns at the microphone belting out female anthems such as "I Will Survive" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." You definitely don't want to drag the husband or boyfriend along for this one. They'll thank you for taking the ladies and leaving them at home to watch the big game. On opening night, only a handful of men were sprinkled throughout the audience amid screaming, clapping, overly enthusiastic women.

Sharon, played by Crystal Kellogg, begins the show by pointing out the few guys and warning them, "You are very brave." She then asks for a round of applause for them. If you're not convinced this show is better off girls only, consider that the nightclub set is bathed in pink light, pink upholstered chairs and pink drapery. The comedic moments include an anatomically correct male blow-up doll used for a ring-toss game, discussion of a mishap with a tampon and references to large breasts as "floor buffers."

The show's stars have their shining moments, including when Anita, played by Justine Hall, showcases her powerful vocals in "The Love of My Man." Kellogg has a ton of energy. At one point she leapt off the stage into the audience and pulled women up from their seats to dance. She didn't stop until nearly every woman in the audience was on her feet. At one point in the show, she even did several cartwheels across the stage. Kellogg is a great dancer and a fantastic comedian, communicating not only with her voice but with her entire body. After two hours of singing and dancing, it's a mystery how she's able to participate in the show's final number.

According to the playbill, the play's author Louise Roche, a mother of three children under the age of five, went out with a group of friends to see another musical. She looked around the audience, saw that it was filled with women and thought she also could write a show that lots of women would enjoy. Originally, she put on "Girls Night" with some friends at a local community theatre. Friends and family pitched in to do the acting, design the posters and sets and make the costumes. The play sold out its entire run and Roche hired the much bigger Milton Keynes Theatre to produce the show, spending her entire life savings. After three successful tours in the United Kingdom since 2003, "Girls Night" made it's U.S. premiere in 2007. If you enjoy a quiet night at the theatre, "Girls Night" is not for you. But, if you have a large group of friends who aren't shy, then, by all means, buy your tickets now.

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Get ready for a fun ‘Girls Night’ out

By Anne Neville NEWS STAFF REVIEWER  - 20 September 2008, Buffalo News, Buffalo NY

The opening night of “Girls Night: The Musical” at Shea’s Smith Theatre was an Oestrogen extravaganza.

Under a spinning disco ball, there was raucous laughter, singing and dancing — and that was just in the audience.

A quick look around revealed that two men had braved the warning implicit in the title to accompany women, and they were called out immediately with a sassy, “Are there any GUYS out there?” Maybe they could chuckle at, if not empathise with, the references to bladder-control issues and giving birth that had women laughing and nodding and laughing some more. But there was more to come — specifically, the sudden appearance of a spectacularly endowed male blow-up doll that prompted both screams and shrieks of laughter. His turn on stage was brief but unforgettable.

Yes, guys, these are the kinds of things women say and do and laugh at when we’re together. Maybe it’s best that you don’t know.

The plot of “Girls Night” is only slightly amped up for dramatic effect. Its success is in its offbeat look at the lives of women we will all recognise:

• Liza, played by Yvette Monique Clark, a bawdy, big hearted woman whose father left one night and who can’t trust her adoring husband not to do the same.

• Anita, played by January Keaton, whose “head is so full of pills it rattles,” but whose friends love her even when she is wearing a slice of pizza like a hat.

• Carol, played by Carly Sakolove, the life of every party with her low-cut top and her wiggling hips, whose brash exterior hides a long-ago secret.

• Carol’s sister Kate, played by Laurie Gardner, whose buttoned-up cardigan and tight bun hide a libidinous side that astonishes them all.

Then there’s Sharon, clad in pure white abundantly dusted with sparkles, who remains young as her friends hit their 40s, because, well, she died 22 years ago in a moped accident. Sharon acts as our narrator and interpreter, providing the back story and hilarious commentary to the interactions of the other four, who are oblivious to her presence.

The women are gathered for a karaoke night to celebrate the engagement of Sharon’s daughter, Candi Rose, who got that unfortunate name because her 17-year-old mother’s favuorite song was “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton. “It was either that or Aretha Van Halen,” one of the women quips.

The five sing “Young Hearts Run Free,” the first of more than a dozen familiar songs of the past few decades, most, but not all, women’s anthems. You know you’ll hear “I Will Survive,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “I’m Every Woman” and “Lady Marmalade,” but “I Say a Little Prayer,” “The Love of My Man” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud” are nice surprises.

For the first part of the show, it seems as though little sister Kate, the strait-laced teacher who is valuable as an automatic designated driver, lacks the powerful personalities the other four share. Can she do anything besides frown and dance like Elaine Benes? Watching her move on stage is a lesson in how good you have to be to make your dancing look that bad. And sure enough, in the second half, the sweater comes off, the hair comes down, her moves make sense, and she stretches out on a table to belt out a heartfelt “Cry Me a River.” It’s a nice transformation.

Did I mention that these women are hilarious? You’ll be treated to comments on first bras and thongs (“Jeff said I looked like a Sumo wrestler!”), and Liza’s description of giving birth: “I was convinced it wasn’t a baby I was pushing out, but a minivan [pause] with a ski rack [pause] and the brakes on!”

These five girls want you to join their party, as Sharon flits into the audience (her marabou-trimmed wings probably help) to grab women’s hands and get them up out of their seats. A big finale of “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” ends this uproarious get-together, and encores of several favourites had every woman up and singing.

Sisterhood isn’t just powerful, it can be pretty amusing, too.

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Girls Night toured the UK in spring 2007                                                    Starring Shobna Gulati & Shana Swash

photo: Robert Day (from left: Marie Carter, Claire Storey, Shana Swash, Shobna Gulati, Kerry Calladine)

Girls Night @ The Lowry

Julia Taylor - Manchester Evening News
7/ 3/2007

WHEN a gaggle of girls goes for a night out, anything can happen. And when celebrities from Coronation Street and EastEnders join in, it’s even more riveting. Two of the people appearing in Girls Night at the Lowry are Shobna Gulati who was Sunita in Coronation Street and Shana Swash, Demi Miller in East Enders. The two soap stars have joined up for a national tour before the play, penned by Where the Heart Is writer Louise Roche, goes to the USA.

Shobna plays Liza, who suffers from marital problems. She has a ready wit and a habit of making gob-smacking statements in a broad Lancashire accent. I liked her description of having a baby as “giving birth to a Volvo Estate Car!

Unlike her EastEnders’ character, Shana is an angel. Twenty years before she had fallen off the back of a moped and gone to heaven but unseen, she follows her friends on their night at a club and acts as an ethereal MC. Shana took me by surprise when she pulled me to my feet to join in with the clapping, swaying, bunny-eared audience.

Then, there is Marie Carter’s Anita. She is one of the funniest characters. She isn’t the brightest cookie but her facial expressions alone make you laugh, especially when she drones on about romance.

Uncomfortable

Party animal Carol (Claire Storey) throws herself into the fun though we know she has a private grief of her own. Flashbacks reveal that she is not alone with her problems for they all have uncomfortable pasts.

Carol’s sister, Kate (Kerrie Calladine) is less outgoing than the others but she’s a hoot when she throws off both her cardigan and her inhibitions after drinking too much wine!

No holds barred, the ravers perform enthusiastically to “It’s Raining Men”, “Dancing Queen” and “I will survive”. All five have fabulous voices both individually and collectively. No person could equal their disco dancing though the flashing pink and mauve lights and revolving mirror ball, come close when they, too, seem to dance.

The cast’s performances were so overpowering that I began to wonder if, as in the song, I would survive. But my feet took over and tapped to the well-known numbers. What a pity there was nowhere for people to dance! I sensed others, like me, were dying to get up and have a go – particularly in “Dancing Queen”.

If nothing else, this light-hearted play illustrates the difference between the friendship of girls and that of men and their mates.
Their idle chatter covers many not-so-serious subjects from the merits of bras to the demerits of men! Yet there is a closeness and understanding that you wouldn’t find amongst the opposite sex at a football match.

* * * * *

9th March 07

"It is the ultimate girls night out"
The Northern Echo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYc_yytKOA

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Girls Night toured throughout 2006                                                                                                            starring Lucy Speed, Gwyneth Strong & Donna Hazelton

photo Tristram Kenton (2006) (from left: Cathy McManamon, Donna Hazelton, Gwyneth Strong, Lucy Speed, Laura Sheppard)

GIRLS NIGHT IS A BIG HIT WITH THEATRE GOERS

Sammy Jones; Milton Keynes Citizen 9.5.06

NEXT to me, he is laughing. A lot. It's an image mirrored all over the venue - all fourteen hundred seats of MK Theatre.

Us girls are laughing at the very essence that make us the fairer of the species, and the fellas?  They are getting an invaluable insight into what it's like having to deal with those monthly moments, with looking  at the pregnancy kit and willing it to be one blue line  (or maybe not), with worrying about our saggy bits (or indeed our fried eggs) and the waxing in a certain downstairs department that makes us grit our teeth.

Most of all though, we are all united in being glued to the stage and at the fabulous production of Girls Night that is dazzling its writer's home city for the second of four sell-out nights.

The reason for the success?  Writer Louise Roche's canny ability to hit on the head our ways and quirks that are distinctly girlie. Director Jack Randle for making it all work, and the cast (oh my god, what a cast!) who are truly outstanding ... and Louise has given them fantastic roles to indulge their abilities in. There is Sharon (Lucy Speed) the naughty angel, Carol (Gwyneth Strong) who knows how to have a party, Kate (Laura Sheppard) who might be yawnsome, but she's good for a lift, Liza (Donna Hazelton) who is after marriage guidance (not for the first time) and Anita (Cathy McManamon) who is happy as long as she remembers to pop the prozac.

Anita has mood swings as frequent as there are roundabouts in the new city, and she talks inces­santly: "That's what you are like first thing in the morning," my chap whispers in my ear .. .Damn. You see, like I said Louise is bang on with her observa­tions, and I'm left with no defence. Just this once.

Girls Night follows the long-term friends as they gossip, reminisce and indulge at the local karaoke club, and so aside from the humour and the touching moments of closeness, it is peppered with all of those classic songs that lead us to believe - wrongly  that we can shake our booty with the best of 'em: I Will Survive and Young Hearts Run Free are two fine examples, made even better on the dance-floor simply by the introduction of a handbag to wobble around.

As the girls belt out their finale with all-knowing faces flushed with success, the audience is on its feet, and though my man mightn't be singing along to the lyrics from It's Raining Men (which I admit I find a relief), I can see by the look on his face that he's had a good night. The entire theatre has.

There's just the one glitch with this show: When the guys see what fun we have when out on the tiles, they'll want in for Girls Night too!

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Girls Night

The Stage 5th May 2006

A Girl’s Night this is, for sure. Louise Roche’s emotive and witty script cuts straight to the hearts of all those who spent their teens dancing around their handbags.

Lucy Speed plays Sharon, a feisty disco gal who died in a moped accident and now returns, years later, as an angel to oversee the antics of her ageing friends. And what a bunch of misfits they are; all recognisable caricatures of femininity. Anita (Cathy McManamon), is a Prozac dependent nutcase, Laura Sheppard plays boring Kate, who is tolerated because she does the driving and Liza, a rich performance from Donna Hazelton, tries to conceal her problems behind one big party. As Carol, Gwyneth Strong is able to display greater depth than she was ever able to in Only Fools and Horses.

It soon becomes evident that there is much more to these ladies than first impressions. Amidst the laughs and songs, some profound observations are made about all kinds of issues. Presented on a single disco-style set, designed by Alex Eales, the girls replay their lives in flashbacks, in-between giving stirring renditions of seventies favourites. Highlights include Hazelton’s exciting I Will Survive and Sheppard’s true ability to sell ballads such as Janis Ian’s At Seventeen.

Director Jack Randle has done a fine job controlling and understanding all these women but one cannot really go wrong with sure fire hit songs which get the audience rocking in the aisles.

A feel good hit if ever there was one.

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BUCKINGHAM ADVERTISER

MUSICAL ROMP FOR THE GIRLS 

Review by Amanda Chalmers 5 May 2006

IT'S raining men, hallelujah. . . there's not a guy in sight actually for Girls Night, an oestrogen-fuelled musical comedy romp at Milton Keynes Theatre. The show centres around five girlfriends - forty somethings with a lust for life, but they're no angels. Well again, that's not strictly true!

Sharon (played by former EastEnder Lucy Speed) narrates the tale from her heavenly vantage point, having died 20 years earlier, with comical observations of her gal pals' behaviour.
The characters share the trials and tribulations of relationships, jealousies and broken trust in a plot that's laced with toe-tapping, hand-clapping girlie anthems including I'm Every Woman, I Will Survive, We Are Family and Dancing Queen.
The small cast delivers a slick production, with the notable stage presence of Donna Hazelton, of whom fans of TV's Musicality will be familiar.
In summary, an absolute must-see for women everywhere. An unadulterated feast of fun and music. But be prepared for some cringe-making reminders of our own diva dance floor disasters.

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14th September 2006  - "A Girls Night to remember"
Woking News and Mail

20th July 2006 - "A truly hysterical and touching musical comedy"
West Briton

11th July 2006 - "Girl power at its very best"
Nottingham Evening Post

"Girls Night has the energy and appeal to bring a broad smile and perhaps a jiggle of a dance"
BBC Online

3rd July 2006 - "A fun, high energy show"
Uk Theatre Network

28th June 2006 - "A great party. Get your dancing shoes on"
Hull Daily Mail

16th June 2006 - "Fierce, fun and fantastically delivered"
Sheffield Telegraph

8th June 2006 - "A snapshot of real life...very well told"
Darlington Evening Gazette

"A pulsating piece of entertainment"
Northern Echo

25 May 2006 - "A real scream"
Belfast Telegraph

"A non-stop laugh out loud comedy"
Derry Journal

19 May 2006 - "Sheer brilliant script writing"
Mid Devon Advertiser

"The girls went wild in the aisles"
Herald Express

Girls Night 2006 & 2007 tours were a Milton Keynes Theatre Productions Ltd / Goodnights Entertainment Ltd Co-Production

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Girls Night toured to medium scale venues in the UK in 2003 and 2004

2004 cast Julie Walker, Cathy McManamon, Marie Carter, Nicola Hollinshead, Katherine O'Hare (photo Jack Randle)

I saw "Girls Night" in Wimbledon on Sunday and it made me laugh and cry. (real tears - almost sobs!) Some of the moments were so touching and easy to relate to one's own life that they moved me very much. There was no choice other than to get up on my feet and dance - they go wild don't they - but I enjoyed it as much for the drama of the stories of the 5 girls as being able to have a boogie to all the girlie anthems. A beautifully poignant and hilariously funny piece and all the girls were brilliantly cast.
Best wishes
Nicola Delaney

When I saw the entire audience rise to their feet during the first ABBA number I knew we were onto a good night. Well done all round, its the sort of show that brings people back to live theatre.
Regards,
Michael Wheatley-Ward, Theatre Royal, Margate.

Just wanted to say what a great night out we had last night. Went to see Girls Night at the Palace Theatre - Redditch, we could see ourselves in the characters. The play made us laugh, sing and maybe even a little sad at times. When are you going to bring Girls Behind to Redditch (or somewhere close by).
Good luck with the rest of the tour.
Betsy Clarke

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Hello,
Just to let you know that my friends and I went to see the show for the 2nd time as we had such a great night out the first time round. We brought with us a couple of "Girls Night virgins" and they, too, thought the show was fantastic. We are eagerly looking forward to our night out in march for Girls Behind! Keep up the good work - hope you have as much fun putting on the show as we did watching it.
Kind regards,
Hazel

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Girls Night on its return to the Majestic was a fantastic night out for the almost 100% female audience. The production was slick, extremely funny and professionally produced. Sound and lighting was excellent as were the crew who were a delight to work with. Audience figures were well up on Girl's Night's previous visit. It bodes well for the visit of Girls Behind in the new year.
Kind Regards, Barry Exton, Majestic Theatre, Retford

I was duty manager last Thursday for Girls Night. Comments from the audience - 'it was a good laugh' / 'true to life' / 'just like us when we go out' / 'I came last year and it was so good I got my mates to come with me again' / 'will definitely get tickets for Girls Behind'. I thought the audience was slightly older than last time and we had a few more men at the performance ! Great value for money and good fun.
cheers,
Val Logan, Burnley Mechanics

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An excellent show, our audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance from a very professional and quality cast.
Ernie Merrilees, Town Hall Theatre, Hartlepool

Having had a great night out seeing 'Girls Night' I laughed out loud, and sometimes maybe too loud!! I thought that I would recommend it to my sister in Altrincham.
Regards, Lizzie from Sevenoaks

Hi
On Wednesday 29/10/04 with a group of my friends we went to Sevenoaks Playhouse to see Girls Night, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Can you please let me know the future Tour dates as I have other friends and family dotted about the South East who would dearly love to see this show.
Many thanks, and well done to everybody involved, wonderful evening!
Brenda Cunningham

Just been to see your show at Sevenoaks - absolutely brilliant!!! Wishing you every success with the rest of the tour.
Jackie Williams

Hi. Tried to book for this production at the Neptune in Liverpool but booked up. Any plans for a further tour which might go somewhere else nearby like Chester Mold, N. Wales?
Janet Reid

Cathy McManamon, Julie Walker, Katherine O'Hare, Nicola Hollinshead, Marie Carter (2004 photo Jack Randle)

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Set Design (all 'Girls Night' tours 2003-7) Alex Eales www.alexeales.co.uk

Lighting Design (all 'Girls Night' tours 2003-7) Tony Simpson www.tonysimpson.com

Production Manager 2006 & 2007 tours John Young www.theambassadors.com

We gratefully acknowledge David Middleton of Sorted Technical Services for his assistance on the tours of 'Girls Night', 'Girls Behind' and 'Bobby & Johnny' 2003-2005 www.sorted-technical-services.co.uk

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visit www.entertainmentevents.com for news and reviews of the Girls Night The Musical adventures overseas!

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Girls Night was originally performed at Madcap Theatre, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, 27 September 2000 with the following cast: Sharon - Alexandra Kent; Carol - Amanda Booth; Kate - Debbie Leonard; Liza - T. C. O'Brien; Anita - Shahnaz Hussein-Hall; Geoff - Jack Randle; D.J. - Andy Wyatt. Design by Louise Roche and Kate Davies. Lighting by Guy Jones. Directed by Jack Randle.