girls!girls!girls! by Present Danger Productions is playing at the Scotiabank Studio Theatre for SummerWorks 2013. The play, written by Greg MacArthur, is a wild depiction of the ways youth cope with small town life. To sum up the premise, the pamphlet says: “It’s Friday night. It’s a small town. It’s a booze up. It’s time for revenge.”

It’s Friday night and several friends (Splitz, Jam, Puss, and Little Bucky the Fag) gather in the woods with nothing to do. The solution is to create a mission out of something that only a bored and angry small-town teen could come up with. Splitz placed forth in a gymnastics competition and can’t handle the fact that she is not wearing that first place red ribbon. Jam, Puss and Little Bucky the Fag promise to do whatever it takes to get their chum the ribbon that she wants. The things teens will do for a ribbon made me squirm in my seat.

I expected many times for the play to hold back, but it continued to push my buttons with evil relish. At first the show reminded me of a theatrical version of Skins, but then more boundaries were gleefully crossed. Violence, nudity, and all other forms of debauchery are celebrated by the youth. Their ages and ribbon related-drive highlight the senselessness of their lifestyles.

As much as this play shocked and upset me, I loved it. It kept my attention and made my heart race in anticipation for the finale. I understand that girls!girls!girls! is not for everyone. If you don’t like nudity, violence, swearing, or young people then this is not the best choice for you. But if you have a dark side, you’ll have a grand old time.

Details:

• girls! girls! girls!  (Present Danger Productions) is playing at Scotiabank Studio Theatre (Pia Bouman School for Ballet and Creative Movement, 6 Noble Street, Toronto)
• Show times remaining: Saturday August 10 at 9:30 pm, Monday August 12 at 7:00 pm, Tuesday August 13 at 2:00 pm, Wednesday August 14 at 4:30 pm, Thursday August 15 at 2:00 pm, Saturday August 17 at 9:30 pm
• All individual SummerWorks tickets are $15 at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online , by phone by calling the Lower Ossington Box Office at 416-915-6747, in person at the Lower Ossington Box Office (located at 100A Ossington Avenue) Mon. – Sun. 12PM-7PM (Advance tickets are $15 + service fee)
• Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 3 shows