“Hello, I’m a feminist, would you like a drink?” This is an odd chat up line, because our culture does not generally see men as taking part in feminism, but The Incredible Adventures of Clown Slut at the Old Red Lion theatre makes you consider that feminism should not be a word we are scared of. The play tells us that men should embrace it because a man supporting feminism could be the sexiest thing for women – no, not a man burning bras, but a man with ultimate respect for women who wants to embrace complete equality.
The start of The Incredible Adventures of Clown Slut makes you feel like you have stepped into a girl’s bedroom and peeked at her dancing to her favourite songs, until she acknowledges your existence and starts a good old chat about her whole life. Joanna Griffin, the writer and only performer of this play, tells us a story about a pre-teen who never noticed how badly she dressed and did not care what people thought of her when dancing like a maniac at school discos, to the story of fresher’s week and trying so hard to fit in, that she did not even notice how ridiculous it was and that she might just be losing her real self. Through the stomach-aching giggles this stand-up comedy play gives you, it makes you end up considering should these jokes really be so relatable and normal; how do we not notice more often that women are casually objectified in our everyday lives?
Griffin and Director Lauren Bracewell have produced an intimate piece of satire theatre put it in a tiny room and made a big impact on how I think about the way our society works and that patriarchy is in fact still present. Griffin story tells like an eloquent poet and eccentric comedian pulling your imagination and taking it into this ordinary girl’s world,. She has a knack of refer ring to an audience member as if having a conversation with them which made the play feel relatable on higher levels rather than just words she wrote and learnt off by heart. From her whacky random dance routines to multiple different accents within seconds, she shocked us with the ease to keep us laughing with continuous repetition, then with the fact that she could talk about serious sexism issues by still incorporating twists to them.
The Incredible Adventures Of Clown Slut rips away the stereotypes of feminism and proves that to be a feminist you do not need to be an angry man-hater or give up wearing skirts, but just to be a normal person. It enhances sexism that occurs in everyday life, makes it humorous, and then crash! “How have people let this become a norm?” rushes through your head. As Griffin said: “If being a girl is a bad thing in a group of lads, what does that teach boys about respecting women?”
This play is not technical and extravagant, just a one woman show that liberates and opens eyes by telling a simple story, with no big adventures and gasps, of an average girl’s life in the UK.
Want to show someone that feminism should not be a taboo and that our liberal society still needs to change a bit more? Or maybe you just need something to prove to you being a feminist is a normal view that we should all be treated as equals? Go and see this show.