The Female of the Species

Thirty years ago Margot Mason, pioneer of the 1970s Women’s Liberation movement and fearless academic, wrote her groundbreaking work and numerous best-sellers followed. Now she has writer’s block. Molly, an unannounced visitor and committed fan of Margot and her work, offers a potential solution – until Molly produces a gun and calmly informs Margot that she intends to kill her because she blames her for warping her mother's mind and ruining her life with her hit book The Cerebral Vagina.

Joanna Murray-Smith’s deliciously wicked comedy deftly walks the tightrope between satire and farce proving the female of the species is not only deadlier, but funnier than the male.

This latest gem from the pen of one of Australia’s most outstanding playwrights was inspired by Germaine Greer’s experience of being held captive in her country house in Essex in 2000.

‘People have already said that the laughter in the theatre… reminds them of the heyday of David Williamson. I think that Murray-Smith is much funnier than Williamson. Her writing is more fluently intelligent, and she handles dramatic form with a sharper imagination.’ Alison Croggon, Theatre Notes