Review: The Party Girls at The Rep, Birmingham

★★★★★

Amy Rosenthal’s The Party Girls is a timely new play that explores the true story of the Mitford sisters; an infamous high society family divided by political extremism. Amid the glittering world of socialites and debutantes in pre-war Britain, the rise of fascism threatens the sisterly bonds and brings treacherous desires to a once carefree, frivolous country home.

Ripped from the sensationalised newspaper headlines, The Party Girls delves deep into the haunting history of fascist Britain. Both scandalous and celebrated figures, a journalist once described the Mitford sisters as Diana Mitford (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) "the Fascist” who married Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, Jessica Mitford "the Communist", Unity Mitford "the Hitler-lover"; Nancy Mitford (Kirsty Besterman) "the Novelist"; Deborah Mitford (Flora Spencer-Longhurst) "the Duchess" and Pamela "the unobtrusive poultry connoisseur".

The actors taking on the roles of the sisters in The Party Girls, aided in their acting by distinct wigs, costuming and make-up, do well to capture the uniqueness and difference of character, each with their own stories and views, despite their shared upbringing. The only sister not featured in this production is Pamela, which is understandable as she lived a relatively quiet life compared to her siblings and stayed out of the drama where possible.

Unlike many of the adaptations that explore the lives of the Mitford sisters, which often focus on Nancy’s writing or Diana’s relationship with Oswald, this production is told through the eyes of Jessica ‘Decca’ Mitford.

Decca, played by Emma Noakes is battling to stay true to her communist beliefs while her sisters, Diana and Unity, fall for the dangerous and charismatic leaders of the Far Right, in Britain and Germany respectively. Playing alongside the family feuding this show also features a slow burning wartime romance between Decca and a Jewish man, Bob Treuhaft (Joe Coen) which brings a real softness and warmth to a play that is no stranger to explorations of extremist views.

Particularly striking in this play is the depiction of Decca and Unity’s clashing politics, as the close friendship they built in childhood is torn and the bonds broken. Their connection flits from sisterly ribbing to ferocious fighting in a matter of moments. Ell Potter as Unity is skilled in bringing to life a character who was at first fun, jovial and loved by her sisters for her comedic temperament but who is quickly lost to the fanaticism of fascism and her vitriolic views.

The Party Girls spans a large portion of The Mitfords’ lives from pre-war tensions to wartime efforts, and finally to post-war 1969 where we catch up with the lasting damage wrought by extremism. As such, the production flits from different parts of history and international settings, so you do need to pay close attention to the projected captions that inform audiences of time and place. The dynamic, shifting staging, which changes regularly between scenes also clearly places each moment in the story. While you could go into the show without knowing much about the Mitfords, I do think the more you know already about the lives of these sisters, the easier this play is to follow.

Ultimately, The Party Girls is a youthful tale of gossip and scandal, sisterhood and survival, and finding love among it all, set to the backdrop of fascism, hate and Nazism. Between the politics and privilege, it is laced with sharply witty British humour and slithers of warmth that provide an uncomfortable but fitting juxtaposition between the comedic moments and the shock of extremist ideology.

Amy Rosenthal’s play is a thought-provoking, enduring and emotional warning in the wake of contemporary politics and the rise of the far-right but it is also a spotlight on the importance of hope and the need for light.

The Party Girls runs at The Rep Theatre, Birmingham until Saturday 11th October.

This review was written following a press invite to the production.