Clean! A Feminist Musical

Clean! A Feminist Musical

On the advertising flyer Clean! is described as a feminist musical, a worthy subtitle it thoroughly deserves for its thoughtful and moving interweaving of 7 separate but connected female narratives. However, what struck me while watching was how much this was a humanist musical, filled with affection and optimism, and a far cry from the political diatribe or agitprop such a label could imply.

Nonetheless, the story, or rather stories, go some way toward redressing a long overdue imbalance in the prominence given to male narratives on stage, and the musical genre in particular provides a thrilling space for resonant female voices from across the ages to be enjoyed and appreciated.

Millicent is the oldest character chronologically, working in Brighton’s Mayo laundry in 1885. She’s followed by one of Brighton’s first female GPs Dr Helen Boyle and young suffragette Meg. Dot manages the laundry through the smallpox crisis of the 50s while Ruby is escaping domestic abuse two decades later. In the 90s Juliet explores menopause and empty nest syndrome, while Tasha bring us right up to 2021, drawing direct parallels between COVID and earlier pandemics.

The sense of place is important throughout, with frequent specific references to Brighton, binding the characters together by geography as we flit bird like through historical periods. The excellent staging and costume design on the one hand make these transitions seamless and comfortable while on the other give us the clues we need to identify eras with accuracy.

The personal narratives are by turns sweet and compelling, tender and brash, and these tonal shifts keep a sort of comfortable forward pace to the story telling. Although it never feels truly dramatic in the sense of any character delivering us tension or suspense, that is in part an inevitable consequence of the form. In keeping the characters monologuing rather than interacting, they are reporting events rather than experiencing them.

The real star of the show is Simon Scardanelli's music, which has an utterly seductive folksy charm. The actors frequently play their own instruments, a decision which beautifully reinforces the theme of them claiming their own stories and supporting each other in telling them. The harmonies are stupendously good and again underline powerfully the theme of sisterhood.

My personal favourite character was Judey Bignell as Dr Boyle whose prim manner and plum accent was an understated delight, while Jack Cryer’s Juliet coaxed the most laughs. Overall, Clean! is a life affirming show with an inspiring message about our shared capacity for tenacity and love which left the audience genuinely uplifted.