Zoe Christall
There are parts of my girlhood that shape who I am today. Things like Girlfriend Magazine quizzes (✨Does Your Crush LIKE You Back??✨), asking mum if Gemma can come stay tonight (I PROMISE we’ll be good!), blanket forts, insecurities whispered underneath the covers at midnight, cuddles and promising to be best friends forever. I have never seen my girlhood accurately reflected back at me by any piece of media. Something was always missing. The girls on TV didn’t look the way I did when I was 16. The unique safety and silliness of female friendships was always trivialised. The girls
didn't seem to get periods or if they did, it was either some theatrical horrorshow or no big deal at all. Female characters were either flat out enemies or codependent besties with no boundaries. I’ve never seen an authentic piece of media that really does the femme coming of age story justice. Until now. Midnight Confessions (written and performed by Abby Lyons, Alia Marshall, Anna Barker and Mia Oudes) is authentic, nostalgic and just plain beautiful.
Disclaimer up top, I am friends with each person who has worked on this show, but I will try to keep my comments as balanced and unbiased as possible.
The thing about this show that hits the most for me is the authenticity with which Midnight Confessions celebrates the femme coming-of-age story. From getting your moon-cup stuck (been there), to cutting yourself a fringe (also been there), to not knowing whether it was normal to feel “a heart-beat in my privates” (“THAT’S not in Girlfriend Magazine!”). The Heartbreaker gang approached some pretty big and pretty emotional topics with zest, humour and love. As a society, we’re getting better at talking about periods without cringing, and we’re quietly accepting that girls can have sexual urges as strong as our male counter-parts. But I know that for myself and a lot of other people out there, talking about normal bodily functions and sexuality is still hard. Especially in a world that has historically trivialised or dismissed the experience of people who are not cis men. So there’s something so liberating about seeing these conversations and experiences play out on stage - a reminder that I’m not alone in my experiences as a girl. A reminder that the women in my life present safe spaces for me. And it’s accessible in its representation. My partner could not stop gushing about how delightful it was to get a peek into the inner life of girlhood. He also related the experiences of giddy sleepovers, the changing of friendships, the growing pains of adulthood and the experience of falling out of love with yourself. All this is a real credit to marvelous minds behind the script and performance.
The nostalgia of the show was also a massive highlight. References to Girlfriend Magazine, rental deals at Video Ezy (RIP), sneaking away to a sleepover with the clear ‘clink’ of alcohol bottles in your bag (we really thought our parents didn’t know!), print-outs of child-hood crushes, Harry Styles and fan fiction fantasies… Barker’s line, “there's nothing like the heartbreak of knowing you'll never be 16 again” hit me to my very core. We all want to relive the best parts of our childhood - for me, Midnight Confessions was that and more. The only critique I had in this area is this: where were the Nokia brick phones, gals?? The script and action lean so hard into nostalgia - I think the props should do this as well. You even got some classic early 2000s girl magazines. I want to see t-shirts from Jay-Jays, galaxy tights, flip phones, cheap makeup kits… Something to consider as you continue to tour this show?
The set design (Rebekah De Roo) felt like the world’s most epic blanket fort and was absolute perfection. It achieved an intimate, cosy setting which invited the audience to join in on the sleep-over. Design elements were subtle, allowing the script and the performances to really shine, with cute projections that set the scene and let us know the ages of the characters at any given moment. Although I loved the subtlety of the scenography, I do wish the projections had been allowed to pop a little more. They blended with the overall colour palette so well that I didn’t always catch them and would get lost as to what time period each scene was set in.
I think the success of this show really comes down to its solid script and the evident friendship and chemistry between each member of Heartbreaker Productions. I really felt that Lyons, Marshall, Barker and Oudes each dug deep and pulled from personal experiences when writing the script. The decision to make the play an anthology worked well for the most part and allowed the team to cover a range of topics and explore a diverse set of characters and experiences. The pacing of the script was fast and fresh, meaning the audience never saw a dull moment. Not only that, but the show is just so funny! Growing up as a girl is absurd, and Heartbreaker Productions manages to toe the line between comedy and poignancy perfectly.
Midnight Confessions doesn’t come without its flaws. There were small elements of the staging and performance that didn’t quite hit for me, but I was so enthralled by the show at large that I’m not sure if it mattered in the end. Unfortunately, the performances didn’t necessarily help me figure the age out. I think the crew need a little more work in differentiating each individual character they play. It took me a while to realise the play was an anthology and part of this reason is because it felt like each character remained the same throughout the show. The truth is that each scene introduces a completely new set of characters. Having said that, I’m not sure if this mattered in the end, because I didn’t need to know the age or names of the character to enjoy and relate to the action playing out.
Lastly, the confessions. It was during these intimate monologues that played out in liminal spaces throughout the show that the script really shone the best. However I wish the team hadn’t faffed around with getting a mic and a stand out before each confession. It slowed the pace and took me out of the world. I think I understand that staging the confessions in this way was meant to create a stark, vulnerable difference in the action of the play, and include the audience in the confession, but the mics just became a barrier between us and the performer. What would have been even more vulnerable would have been to make each actor stand before us with nothing on stage while they bare their soul to us. Part of me also wished I could see the other performers on stage. This was a group of close friends and I wanted to see their reactions to each confession.
Midnight Confessions is a delight of a show and there’s truly not a lot I can fault with it. Even the faults I do mention are so minor in comparison to the joy, nostalgia and authenticity Heartbreaker Productions gives to a universal experience that isn’t often spoken about - girlhood. The show flows in the same way that most conversations with the girlies do - one minute you’re analysing childhood trauma, sobbing into your iced latte, and in the same breath you’re laughing over a meme. We’re girls - of course we contain multitudes. This is an important piece of theatre, and it’s for everyone, I promise. Go see it.
Midnight Confessions is on at BATS Theatre until Saturday 31 August 2024.
Disclaimer up top, I am friends with each person who has worked on this show, but I will try to keep my comments as balanced and unbiased as possible.
The thing about this show that hits the most for me is the authenticity with which Midnight Confessions celebrates the femme coming-of-age story. From getting your moon-cup stuck (been there), to cutting yourself a fringe (also been there), to not knowing whether it was normal to feel “a heart-beat in my privates” (“THAT’S not in Girlfriend Magazine!”). The Heartbreaker gang approached some pretty big and pretty emotional topics with zest, humour and love. As a society, we’re getting better at talking about periods without cringing, and we’re quietly accepting that girls can have sexual urges as strong as our male counter-parts. But I know that for myself and a lot of other people out there, talking about normal bodily functions and sexuality is still hard. Especially in a world that has historically trivialised or dismissed the experience of people who are not cis men. So there’s something so liberating about seeing these conversations and experiences play out on stage - a reminder that I’m not alone in my experiences as a girl. A reminder that the women in my life present safe spaces for me. And it’s accessible in its representation. My partner could not stop gushing about how delightful it was to get a peek into the inner life of girlhood. He also related the experiences of giddy sleepovers, the changing of friendships, the growing pains of adulthood and the experience of falling out of love with yourself. All this is a real credit to marvelous minds behind the script and performance.
The nostalgia of the show was also a massive highlight. References to Girlfriend Magazine, rental deals at Video Ezy (RIP), sneaking away to a sleepover with the clear ‘clink’ of alcohol bottles in your bag (we really thought our parents didn’t know!), print-outs of child-hood crushes, Harry Styles and fan fiction fantasies… Barker’s line, “there's nothing like the heartbreak of knowing you'll never be 16 again” hit me to my very core. We all want to relive the best parts of our childhood - for me, Midnight Confessions was that and more. The only critique I had in this area is this: where were the Nokia brick phones, gals?? The script and action lean so hard into nostalgia - I think the props should do this as well. You even got some classic early 2000s girl magazines. I want to see t-shirts from Jay-Jays, galaxy tights, flip phones, cheap makeup kits… Something to consider as you continue to tour this show?
The set design (Rebekah De Roo) felt like the world’s most epic blanket fort and was absolute perfection. It achieved an intimate, cosy setting which invited the audience to join in on the sleep-over. Design elements were subtle, allowing the script and the performances to really shine, with cute projections that set the scene and let us know the ages of the characters at any given moment. Although I loved the subtlety of the scenography, I do wish the projections had been allowed to pop a little more. They blended with the overall colour palette so well that I didn’t always catch them and would get lost as to what time period each scene was set in.
I think the success of this show really comes down to its solid script and the evident friendship and chemistry between each member of Heartbreaker Productions. I really felt that Lyons, Marshall, Barker and Oudes each dug deep and pulled from personal experiences when writing the script. The decision to make the play an anthology worked well for the most part and allowed the team to cover a range of topics and explore a diverse set of characters and experiences. The pacing of the script was fast and fresh, meaning the audience never saw a dull moment. Not only that, but the show is just so funny! Growing up as a girl is absurd, and Heartbreaker Productions manages to toe the line between comedy and poignancy perfectly.
Midnight Confessions doesn’t come without its flaws. There were small elements of the staging and performance that didn’t quite hit for me, but I was so enthralled by the show at large that I’m not sure if it mattered in the end. Unfortunately, the performances didn’t necessarily help me figure the age out. I think the crew need a little more work in differentiating each individual character they play. It took me a while to realise the play was an anthology and part of this reason is because it felt like each character remained the same throughout the show. The truth is that each scene introduces a completely new set of characters. Having said that, I’m not sure if this mattered in the end, because I didn’t need to know the age or names of the character to enjoy and relate to the action playing out.
Lastly, the confessions. It was during these intimate monologues that played out in liminal spaces throughout the show that the script really shone the best. However I wish the team hadn’t faffed around with getting a mic and a stand out before each confession. It slowed the pace and took me out of the world. I think I understand that staging the confessions in this way was meant to create a stark, vulnerable difference in the action of the play, and include the audience in the confession, but the mics just became a barrier between us and the performer. What would have been even more vulnerable would have been to make each actor stand before us with nothing on stage while they bare their soul to us. Part of me also wished I could see the other performers on stage. This was a group of close friends and I wanted to see their reactions to each confession.
Midnight Confessions is a delight of a show and there’s truly not a lot I can fault with it. Even the faults I do mention are so minor in comparison to the joy, nostalgia and authenticity Heartbreaker Productions gives to a universal experience that isn’t often spoken about - girlhood. The show flows in the same way that most conversations with the girlies do - one minute you’re analysing childhood trauma, sobbing into your iced latte, and in the same breath you’re laughing over a meme. We’re girls - of course we contain multitudes. This is an important piece of theatre, and it’s for everyone, I promise. Go see it.
Midnight Confessions is on at BATS Theatre until Saturday 31 August 2024.