Diamond Girls
FIVE STARS | Malia Becker hits it out of the park in this summery one-hander featuring 21 characters
Rating: ★★★★★
Company: Menagerie Productions, Estevan, Sask.
Genre: Play — Dramedy
Venue: 12 — Asper Centre for Theatre and Film, University of Winnipeg
Malia Becker hits it out of the park in this summery one-hander featuring 21 characters. Some scenes involve 3 people, all played by Becker, masterfully juggled, crisp and distinct.
The script explores the miracle of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which existed from 1943 to 1954.
The players had to slide bases in mini-skirts and never show up for a game without lipstick, but were athletes of the highest order.
Rather than a rehash of the film, A League of Their Own, this play brings to life Canadian prairie women who made up a disproportionate percentage of the league.
Fun, funny and brought a tear to my eye.- Shawna Dempsey
As well as playing incredible baseball, these local heroines had to negotiate the gender laws during a period that also included racial segregation and homophobia.
Diamond Girls presents nuanced, poignant portraits of fierce players, who nonetheless needed to ask their husbands' permission to pursue their dreams.
Fun, funny and brought a tear to my eye.
