The Girl’s Guide To Saving the World

Anna Sokolova
Feb 1
3 min read

Old Fitz Theatre, Sydney, 25 January - 1 February, 2026

The review

The play is about Jane and Bella, two close friends, built of a sequence of fragments of their lives, deeply personal or speaking of big issues. The core of the latter was their online project, a sweeping feminist blog. The idea of it was conceived and made known to the world one day when they both were waiting for the stripes to appear on Bella’s pregnancy test.

A rich opening dialog of this show, where anxiety, anticipations, accepting and rejecting, and weighing each of the options - yes or no, a baby or no baby, gave rise to a broad and angry conversation about women’s place in the world, beside - or under total control? unseen? unvalued by? - men.

The big questions, though, require strong reinforcement throughout the play, but that is the main miss of this work. What is the jam - the Bella’s and Jane’s paths to construct and deconstruct their own life. The immediate success of their blog, manifested, in its large part, by an avalanche of haters, is only slightly mentioned.

The relationship between these two women is crafted in a mastered way of psychological theatre, nuanced with gestures, a rich palette of tones, body language. The connection between them feels the air, even when they are not sitting close, holding their hands, but split by the whole space of the stage.

Bella’s and Jane’s worlds are evolving around relationships or interaction with men who are, if representing the entire population of males, really pushing the decency of their sex below any acceptable level. This is a bit too big a call. Men in this story are only one-dimensional. There is nothing to hold on to in them, and shutting doors and cutting the connecting strings seems the only option to keep sanity, individuality and self-worth.

No question there are a lot of men around perfectly suited for such judgment, but one shall be careful with generalisation. We need peace and collaboration, not another war.

Bella, being beautiful, strong and smart, struggles to find any even remotely stable relationships. Jane’s life with her boyfriend Toby, who is appearing as a sweet, caring guy at first, transitioned into a shallow, self-centered, funny, but pathetic personality later, is a constant self-adjustment and molding in. Toby wears a shirt with an “Ordinary person” printed on it - is a great, bold, sarcastic choice by the costume designer.

The only male personality who receives unconditional love and compassion, who lived to connect humans, is Jane’s and Toby’s cat - a non-appearing personality whose passing away wipes out the last bridge connecting the pair.

Carried through all the bumps, the female friendship stays, flowing, changing shapes, mood, tone, stretching away and being swished back to the deepest connection is the most fulfilling, deep and engaging part of this work. Having a girlfriend who is a fortress is a blessing.