Turning 25 review

Two women meet. They have various conversations on important topics such as what it feels like to fall in love, are humans ultimately evil, and can you separate art from the artist. Inspired by Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, Turning 25 is a feminist absurdist examination of women's wants and desires in the modern world.

Similar to Waiting for Godot, Turning 25 lacks a clear plot, climax, or resolution. In this production though, the two women race through random threads of conversation as they provide commentary on society and evaluate their lives. You can see John's Wife (Eleni Vettos) has adopted some of Vladimir’s philosophical traits, while the Unnamed Woman (Gillian Mosenthal) mirrors Estragon, with less abstract thinking and a more childlike quality. Vettos and Mosenthal present confidence with Georgie Hindle's script and find a good balance in highlighting its humour and vulnerability.

The feminist perspective that is applied to this, and using Friedan's the "problem that has no name" concept, where women were expected to find fulfillment solely as wives and mothers (but instead left dissatisfied and depressed), is cleverly considered. This holds potential, but the script misses opportunities to extend its ideas with greater complexity, leaving certain moments feeling under-explored and emotionally unfulfilled.

Our characters appear on stage wearing layers of mismatched jewellery and clothing, including a wedding dress. As the narrative progresses, they remove these items, eventually revealing their authentic selves. While this seems like an effective way to express their true identities in the context of this world, in practice, it becomes distracting and too on the nose.

Overall, Turning 25 presents a bold exploration of complex themes through a feminist and existential lens. The play offers decent insights into women's ambitions, societal expectations, and identity, but it falls short in fully developing these concepts. Nevertheless, this is an ambitious debut from Hindle, and while it has its rough edges, it showcases a promising artistic vision and it will be interesting to see how her future works evolve.

Show Details

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place Melbourne
Season: until 1 March | 8:30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $39 Full | $35 Concession
Bookings: The Butterfly Club