Canadian producer and writer, Maureen Ulrich, presents a dynamic one-woman show featuring multifaceted performer Amanda Trapp.
This show is Ulrich’s first attempt on a script featuring a single actress performing twenty-one different roles.
A natural performer, Trapp is in her element paying tribute to famous Saskatchewan sportswomen, Mary Baker, Arleen Johnson, and Daisy Juner, along with numerous other personalities.
With the aid of Kenn McLeod’s effective direction, Trapp impressively weaves between characters and showcases her versatility.
The stage sported a single bench and three large posters of the softball heroines behind which Trapp was able to change costumes and props.
In this production, Ulrich incorporated the eleven-year history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, from 1943 to 1954.
It is a challenge to sustain a one-woman show for an hour, and some moments were more gripping than others. One does not need to know much about softball or baseball to appreciate Trapp’s performance, but there were moments where I had to refer to the programme in order to keep up with the plot, and which character Trapp was portraying.
This play represented what life was like for a young American woman in the mid-twentieth century, having to seek permission from her husband, or parents, to pursue her career.
The expectation for a professional sportswoman to always have her lipstick and skirt on correctly before stepping out onto the field are, by today’s standards rather comical and arguably archaic. However, not much has changed nearly seventy years later, where sport celebrities who have good looks accompanying their athleticism fare better.
Diamond Girls a fantastic show for anyone who is a fan of exceptional acting and the history of women’s sport.
Rating ☆☆☆☆
Reviewed performance: 3 March 2018
Time: 4.30 pm
Venue: Gallery Room, National Wine Centre
Season:
4.30 pm, 3 – 4 March at Gallery Room, National Wine Centre
7.00 pm, 5 – 12 March at Vines Room, National Wine Centre
6.45 pm, 8 & 10 March at Tandanya
