A Performance Review of “Women At Work” Staged At The National Theatre, Ghana on the 8th and 9th March,2025.
Synopsis of the Play
“Women At Work” captures the plight of eight phenomenal women completely different, but are locked up under the same roof for a day. During this retreat, they are left with no choice but to make the most out of the twenty-four hours, a condescending comment triggers a series of unconventional conversations, leading to several startling revelations as each woman is forced to confront their individual prejudices as women, society’s stereotypes and the various limitations they face as today’s women. The play addresses existential issues such as identity crisis as they try to find meaning out of their meaningless world where patriarchy has been used to suppress their desires and happiness. The production featured renowned actresses like Gloria Sarfo, Roselyn Ngissah, Gadede Segbefia, Grace Adjetey and Mavis Ama Abrokwa.
This review takes a closer look at the performance review or analysis of the theatrical elements (acting, light, sound, costume, makeup, set, props, audience reaction, and the overall impact). This review, however, will focus on the events that took place on the first night (March 8th, 2025), and as such, comments from the second night will not be highlighted in this post.
Acting
The production began with a curtain-raiser solo performance to set the mood for the production. The singer was good on the Guitar, he had great Vocals to open the show. The songs he sang resonate with the play as it addressed the plight of women in marriages and relationships. Again, his songs also seemed to give a masculine commentary of how men also get broken-hearted “holes in our heart “, “Holes in our lives,” but still soldier on.
Now to the main performers, Agyeiwaa opened the play on a good note. She watched the X-rated film artistically and made use of the dildo well. She made the audience believe that she was truly masturbating, especially with the onomatopoeia that confirmed that she had reached the stage of orgasm. Jacqueline Owusu Ansah mastered the role and related well with the fellow players on stage. She reacted well when Osofo Maame caught her masturbating and seemed to know the bible too well but chose the opposite route. She also narrated her ordeal well as she claimed that her husband couldn’t satisfy her well after their wedding. She engaged the audience with her commentary on body shaming. Not forgetting how she referred to her husband as a “two-minute man” in bed and how that unbearable situation reminds her of her ex who also left her and married her best friend after all the sacrifices that she had made for him. Great acting from the Carrier Woman. My only issue with her was that she reached the orgasm too early, considering the duration that she used in watching the adult film. Again, she delayed changing her costume which technically paused the play for a while.
Another Performer who stole the show is Osofo Maame. Roselyn Ngissah handled the role well. She seemed to be the only counselor to the rest of the seven stranded women. She gave them hope and inspiration with her quotations from the bible. She was very quick to condemn Salley for her fake lifestyle and made the audience believe that she had no blemish. She also related well with the audience, especially with her line “unmarried men have no right to orgasm”. However, I didn’t feel or see her transition from the Osofo Maame (comforter) to her bad girl journey before she married the Pastor. It happened so suddenly, which surprised me. I feel the transition could have been more visible if she had paused for a while and filled the silence with nuances like ”Hmmm, Asem oo, owww” before switching or breaking down to tell her story. Nevertheless, she was very interesting to watch.
Hajia, which was played by Mavis Abrokwah, She also took charge of the stage. Her first entry was well orchestrated. Her chemistry with Osofo Maame was great. She stuck to her accent too and made us believe that she was a Muslim in reality. Her views on sexting were also quite convincing. Her great moments for me would be how she presented her polygamous marriage to the circle, as she grieved over how her husband (Alhaji) who married a second wife who was way older than her. Her energy on stage was superb. I was very impressed with the way she said “Cover your body” and tried to adjust Salley’s dress, which advertised her beasts. Again, the manner she comforted Osofo Maame as she narrated the dark side of her marriage was beautiful. My issue with her was that she struggled with some of the lines, but I was glad she bounced back.
Frema was also believable on stage. Dzifa Sogbe Adranyi played the role well. Her initial appearance created the impression that she was doing a workout to make her body shape look good. I liked the way she introduced the topic “sexting” to the circle for discussion. Again, the way she also recounted her experience on how she was advised to be submissive and an obedient wife days before her wedding was excellent. I also admired her confession on how she stopped working just after marrying, which was also true to life. Not forgetting her endless complaints about her husband Ato Qwamina, who is described as a “mummy’s boy” who joined his family train to chastise her for failing to give birth. Her dire need for a child is evident in the manner in which she advised Salassie not to abort her pregnancy. She is one of the few performers who convinced the audience that the problem with women is mostly caused by their fellow women. My challenge with that was when she received a phone call from the husband. Her phone screen or interface didn’t show that she was on the phone with someone, her screen was just showing a white background light, which in my view killed the effect. Nevertheless, her phone call with her mother-in-law was splendid and well executed.
Salley on the other hand, was excellent. She was all over the stage and arrested the attention of the audience. Her blocking was great as she seemed to have used every part of the stage. Gloria Sarfo killed the role. Right from her entry to the end, she commanded the stage with her “brand influencing”, “slay queen lifestyle and “soft life” anthem. She heaped her breast to register her lifestyle and never ceased to remind the audience about her beauty and how she has been snatching people’s husbands with it. Her motto “Sexy Sally: transforming and breaking hearts” was very evident in her character and she still insisted that “Some men are for the community” and needed to be shared. Her video call with the sugar daddy was believable. Again, I was touched by her story of how she was forced into early marriage at age 15 and sexually abused for 3 years. My issue with her was that she struggled with some part of her dialogue, but she gained momentum later and carried on. Again, she masked herself with the ring light, which she used for the live video, so her facial expressions were also buried.
Efe was also another captivating performer to watch. Gadede Aku Sebefia made the circle stronger. She smoked cigarettes effortlessly and her accent demonstrated someone who had stayed in the States for a while. I liked her energy as she also advocated for freedom and rejected the biblical assertions put forward by Osofo Maame. It is with this energy that she advised Frema to flee from her toxic marriage. I also loved the chemistry between her and Nakkie, it was just perfect. Her great moment was when she found out that she was sharing the same man with “Salley”. She perfectly registered her anger towards Salley, great acting there.
Nakkie was super interesting to watch. She was a comic relief amidst this serious tension. Grace Adjeley killed the role. She was seen as a glutton who couldn’t stay a minute without food or drink. She demonstrated that her educational level was lower as compared to the other seven women. She spoke bad English interspersed with the Ga dialect. She was very funny… and made the Audience laugh throughout the production. The way she teased Agyeiwaa for using the dildo to masturbate and the “2 minutes man” slogan got the audience laughing. Not forgetting how she teased Selassie with the name “Valentine bride“. Her relationship with Osofo Maame and Frema was great. Aside from her humour, she also consoled Osofo Maame to get over her marital problems when she argued that everyone struggles.
One of the challenging roles was that of the bride, Salassie. Araba Dansowaa projected that she was really traumatized. My issue was that most often, she waited for cues to come so that she could recite her lines. It made it sound as if she was out of character most of the time. She also recited some of her lines instead of acting it out. Again, she struggled with some of the lines but later picked up. Her stage business wasn’t too encouraging as she could have picked some of the books on the shelves to engage her instead of that abrupt entry and exit. Aside from these, she was also interesting to watch, especially the part where she interrupted the conversation with the word “Forever”. The way she narrated her ordeal, which happened on Valentine’s Day, was very emotional. The audience pitied her as they listened to her story on the eve of her wedding night when her groom fled and married another lady.
The last among the actresses was Saucy. Sarah Lawson was quite good. Only that her dialogue wasn’t audible. She claimed to be the landlord`s daughter and invaded the scene unexpectedly. However, she related well with Selassie.
Technical Aspects
Lighting & Sound
The light for this production didn’t really do a good job. Since the play took place in 24 hours, the light should have reflected wherever it was day, night, or dawn, but was almost the same effect throughout the play. The scene where Agyeiwaa`s masturbated happened at dawn but the lighting was nowhere close to that effect. Some actors like Salley, Frema, and even Salassie played out of the light. They acted at the Apron and there was no light, hence their facial expressions could not be seen.
The sound team did a good job. Only a few sound glitches like the lapel microphones, which were not working, and then the sound of the vibrator came quite earlier than usual, and so it didn’t correlate well when Agyeiwaa used it. However, the message tone, phone calls, and flatulence, the house Music “Women at Work” and then the ending sound were carefully chosen. Great job by the technical team, they did a great job.
Set and Props
The set for this production was perfect. Kudos to the set designer Prince Kojo- Hilton. The set was very elaborate and featured a kitchen, hall, bookshelves, flower pots, bedrooms, etc. One thing that caught my attention was the naturalist nature of the set. There was a natural tap that flowed on stage. Great job. The actresses related to the set. With the props, the chairs, phones, bags, Tables, the flower, standing fan, Ring lights, Telephone , utensils, and book shelves all enhanced the set and the characterization. Only that some Props became redundant on stage. The books on the shelves were never touched, and the standing fan never worked.
Costume And Make Up
Generally, the costumes for this production were pulled well. Talk of Selassie’s wedding gown, to Hajia ‘s costume to Salley’s fitting and colorful costume. Make up was also cool. Salassie’s Make Up and that of Salley enhanced their role. Great one there.
Audience Reaction
The audience enjoyed the play. Some women in the audience seat keep rooting at Salley for giving them a reason to cheat. Others also fell in love with Osofo Maame. As for Nakkie, she was the one who made the audience laugh the most. With the masturbation scene, most were glued to their seats and they watched the drama unfold. Generally, the audience enjoyed only that some scenes were dragged and made it look like it was ending only for it to pick up again. I also commend the Director Fiifi Coleman for cautioning that the play is rated 18+ and that the audience should take note so they are not taken by surprise with the events. Overall, the play was well treated considering its lengthy and unconventional dialogues. Well done, Fiifi Coleman Production. Brilliant collaboration, I will rate this production 8/10.
Written by Mensah Junior Raphael, BA Theatre Arts, UEW.
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