The lights come up as three girls run onstage and begin a pretend gymnastics competition. “I give myself a 10,” Morgan yells as she completes her routine for Claude and Jenny. Among this game of make-believe, the soon-to-be-freshmen discuss high school and how their varying levels of maturity will affect their friendships in their new school environment.
Emotions begin to rise, loyalties are questioned and the audience is given their first insight into the hostile world of teenage girls as the first scene of “All Girls” comes to a close.
The play, directed by Anna Greenfield, tells the story of Claude, Jenny and Morgan (Greenfield, Zoe Costello and Anna Ryan Konkle) — three 13-year-old girls who must analyze the strength of their relationships under the scrutiny of Morgan’s mother, Mrs. Grey (Judith Hawking), a psychologist looking for material for a new book.
The most realistic aspect of the girls’ performance was the body language, especially Greenfield’s. In her solo scene where she dons a man’s shirt and pretends she is about to engage in intimate relations, Greenfield demonstrates the struggle between a desire to cling to innocence and a hope to mature physically and mentally through her actions, allowing the audience to better understand and sympathize with her character.
While most of the dialogue is smooth and appropriate to the story, there are certain scenes in which the language becomes unnatural and awkward. The scene in which Mrs. Grey and Jenny discuss her sexual interactions with Mrs. Grey’s daughter, Morgan, felt very forced.
The highlight of the show is when Mrs. Grey has the three girls accompany her in role-playing Jenny’s family in hopes of explaining Jenny’s aggressive behavior. Morgan provides the most comedic moment in the show when she, while role-playing Jenny’s father, rants about the stereotypical teenage girl of the ’90s.
“All Girls” is ultimately a show worth seeing for its ability to take difficult and emotional subject matter and present it in a comedic and realistic way.
“All Girls” is presented by Collaboration Town and is playing now through April 13 at the Kraine Theater.
A version of this article appeared in the April 9 print edition. Alyssa Dvorak is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].
