Review: Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, UK Tour at the Lowry, Salford

Who are your heroes? Who are some of the legends who you have looked up to in your life? Imagine if you could meet them...? 

That is exactly what this latest piece is about, as we get to delve into a family piece that has made a name for itself for the last year: Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World. 

Based off the picture books by Kate Pankhurst, the show is written by Miranda Cooper & Chris Bush, boasting an entirely female cast and band, and an almost-entirely female creative team. The books they're based on explore female figures who have made a difference to the world, whether through, sports, arts, science, activism etc, in the hopes of inspiring the next generation of women to be.. well, fantastically great. Something I can always get behind. 

11 year old Jade gets lost in a museum during a school trip. She thinks no-one will get her and so wanders into the Gallery of Greatness, an exhibition not yet open that explores female figures. Well she gets more than she bargained for, when she ends up meeting the likes of Frida Kahlo, Emmeline Pankhurst, Jane Austen and Rosa Parks; and they end up inspiring her forward bit by bit. 

The thing I enjoyed most about this show is just how celebratory this show is, and how the characters offer their wisdom to Jade without talking down to her. It can be a delicate balance to achieve in writing so hats off to Bush for this. 

It truly is a family show, and on a matinee in the Easter holidays (or close enough), it was packed with kids who were loving every second of it. I even saw a young girl holding up her own "Deeds Not Words" sign. Similar to SIX, Cooper & Bush have built a song list that have given these women who didn't have a voice back then, the time to shine and tell their stories. With a whole load of sass. Where else could you see Emmeline Pankhurst as a rapping military officer? Or Mary Anning, Mary Seacole and Marie Curie forming a superhero team lead by Agent Fifi? 

The songs themselves not only offer these women's stories, but are also a load of fun. And some of the women who feature in this, I hadn't even heard of, such as Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel. 

I have used celebratory to describe this before, but I truly do not think there is a better word to use. in every sense of the word; from the women we get to meet; to the bright and colourful costumes; to the faces you see on the cast as they know they're having a blast. 

In that cast, are 2 original SIX Queens, Renée Lamb and Christina Modestou (Carousel), and Kirstie Skivington, fresh off understudying Cassidy Janson in & Juliet. 

If you think this is a show for you, I definitely recommend you go. However I think you will get the most fulfilment out of it if you know a young child who would enjoy this and who can come along with you. Half of the fun is seeing their faces light up and getting inspired by the wonderous women you see on stage. 

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is playing at the Quays Theatre in the Lowry until Saturday, before continuing on its UK tour.