If you have ever walked through Wilder Bowl and heard blood-curdling screams coming from Warner Center, you have already gotten a small preview of Oberlin Student Theater Association’s newest production, an adaptation of Jenny Rachel Weiner’s 2015 play Horse Girls. This weekend, OSTA will put on four showings of the play directed by College second-year Quinn Miller and held in Wilder Main.
Immediately upon walking into Wilder Main, you are transported into the bedroom of twelve-year-old Ashleigh, played by College fourth-year Angela O’Toole, where the entirety of the play takes place. With minimal pieces in the set, the crew was able to transform the space into a tween equestrian’s utopia. Trophies, certificates, and inspirational horse posters adorn the walls. My Little Pony figurines and Justice gift cards are scattered among bedazzled diaries and snacks.
This pubescent pink paradise is the meeting place of the Lady Jean Ladies, the most exclusive all-female equestrian club in all of suburban Florida. Ashleigh, the club’s president, rules with an iron fist, demanding attention and praise from the other girls in the club. Ashleigh’s second in command, Tiffany, played by College first-year Harper Joyce, is a skilled rider who is the only one besides Ashleigh to own her own horse — meaning she poses the biggest threat to Ashleigh’s dictatorship. The other members of the Lady Jean Ladies include Robin, Tiffany’s younger sister, played by College first-year Alice Rosenberg; Margaret, the diabetic and rumored lesbian, played by College first-year Cloude Fewkes; Camille, played by College second-year Lucy Wadman; and Trish, her cousin visiting from New York who she has brought along to the meeting, played by College second-year Zoë Brush.
The hour-long show follows a meeting of the Lady Jean Ladies that takes a turn for the worse. The meeting starts off as it usually would, with the girls braiding each other’s hair and performing dramatic readings of horse-themed poetry from their diaries, praised by clomping their hands on the floor instead of clapping. Ashleigh’s domineering character is on display when any of the girls even dare to disrespect one of the club’s sacred rules. She even threatens to kick Tiffany out when she learns that she was accepted into the prestigious Galileo Summer Horse Camp, which would involve Tiffany missing more than two meetings. However, she and the rest of the group quickly forget about that problem when the club’s final member, Brandi, played by College second-year Talia Richer, arrives late with even more horrifying news: Ashleigh’s family’s stables are being sold, and the horses the girls love so dearly are to be sold for meat.
The following montage of screeches and convulsions from the girls indicates the play’s shift from a middle school comedy to a dark, satirical commentary on the obsessions and insecurities of tween girls. While the girls devise ways to save their beloved creatures, they quickly begin to lose their sanity, but never lose their humor. As the events of the meeting get darker and darker, the absurd hilarity of the show never ceases. The tone shifts constantly, going from intensely violent moments to the girls singing an ode to Ann Romney — whom they have dubbed the Number One Horse Girl — to the tune of “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler. While at times it can feel like dramatic whiplash, Horse Girls truly makes the most of its short run-time to show the complex dynamics of tween friendship.
The acting is the show’s strongest point, with each actor perfectly embodying the awkwardness of being a seventh grader. Giggles and the words “like” and “whatever” are heard in nearly every line, taking the audience from a college campus to the halls of an American middle school. O’Toole shines in her role as Ashleigh, commanding attention from both the audience and her fellow Lady Jean Ladies. She carefully walks the line between corrupt sociopath and insecure 12 year-old who just wants validation and love. As O’Toole encapsulates every middle school mean girl, the rest of the cast matches her energy with high levels of awkwardness.
The cast’s choreography across the stage is another one of the most captivating parts of Horse Girls. From youthful fidgeting in more static scenes to crawling and tumbling that is reminiscent of a ritualistic dance in scenes of chaos, the actors’ movements are like the story itself: both unsettling and hilarious.
Accompanying the fantastic acting is equally fantastic lighting and sound design. Like the tone of the show, the lighting and score intensify as the story progresses. Flashing lights help convey danger and violence, while song choices bring the audience back to laughter. Miller’s direction, along with assistant director College second-year Reyna Berry and stage manager College second-year Saffron Qaiyummake the play captivating from the first scene.
While no one wants to relive middle school, Horse Girls is definitely worth a watch. Miller’s direction and the scarily convincing performances from the actors make this a unique and enthralling show that manages to shock the audience countless times in only 60 minutes. Audiences will leave hungry, not for horse meat, but for more. But, as Tiffany states: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because you had a horse!”
