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BrumHour saw Spitfire Girls at the invite of Birmingham Rep.

By Dave Massey x.com/BrumHour

Spitfire Girls at Birmingham Rep: Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐”A fascinating production.”

Directed by Seán Aydon written by Katherine Senior

As she welcomes 1960, Bett (Katherine Senior) a landlady in a pub, The Spitfire, must face great moments and uncomfortable truths about her past, particularly as Dotty (Laura Matthews) turns up to rattle memories from the past.

This story touches on the work of women during World War II in the UK, particularly that of women pilots. There are plenty of jokes, and the language is of the time as the story switches back into the wartime. At two and ten minutes including interval, this production runs tightly and utilises every second on the stage.

The static floor of the set is a huge hexagon with a British Royal Air Force (RAF) style roundel in the centre. Elements are placed and removed depending on the setting, from a pub to a family home and then to an air force base office. The incidental music and soundscape serve to accompany swift set changes and fun dance interludes and quite often push the story forward.

Laura Matthews and Katherine Senior are great and really bounce off each other throughout this story as it unfolds.

The majority of the audience might not have been particularly aware of the subject matter, but Spitfires are quite entrenched in the history of Birmingham itself being built in the east of the city.

A fascinating production. Spitfire Girls is at Birmingham Rep until 21st June. Book tickets here: birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/spitfire-girls.