Girls run the world at Raven

Raven Theatre didn't fly south for the winter this season and is currently hosting two productions in its nest at 6157 North Clark Street. The Raven Theatre company presents Top Girls at the Johnson Stage and The Story Theatre world premieres Pot Girls at the Schwartz Stage, both in February and running into March, inside the same venue.

Top Girls is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill, centering around Marlene, a woman focused on her career who is facing challenges in her work environment. She throws a lavish dinner party with historical and mythical figures invited, such as Pope Joan and Dull Gret.

After the chaotic meal, the storyline shifts to Marlene's sister Joyce and her daughter Angie. Family conflicts arise and this adds to the high demands of Marlene's managerial job at the Top Girls Employment Agency. Secrets are eventually revealed and the truth comes out in surprising ways with an emotional journey for Marlene.

Pot Girls takes the skeleton of Top Girls and fleshes out the bones with a diverse, modern twist. The plot still covers how women are treated in the world, but Pot changes the setting from an office to a theater. This time, the main character is Caryl, who is having a gathering at her place in London with her partner Edith. It's a casual affair with appetizers and marijuana. The guests in Pot Girls include Mexican poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Japanese novelist Lady Murasaki Shikibu. The dramatic shift in this case involves Caryl wrestling with the creatives about representation on the stage of her play. The narrative grows heavier through a series of situations until the bitter end.

Both Top Girls and Pot Girls explore similar themes of gender inequality and both use notable individuals to express commonalities throughout history. These victims of society use intoxicating tools to deal with the stress in their lives. Top Girls wind up their discussions with wine and Pot Girls spill their tea thanks to Mary Jane.

The comparisons end when the main protagonists diverge in opposite directions, brought on by their separate situations. The set, props and costumes are brought to life with independent budgets. Top Girls weaves a futuristic tale while Pot Girls displays a bohemian chic style. On an even playing field, Pot Girls beats Top Girls with the right combination of engaging characters and nuanced writing.

Plucking historic figures from various time periods and mixing them together is not a new concept. Look at popular movies like Night at the Museum or musicals such as Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. Just like a round of Snatch Game on RuPaul's Drag Race, it's entertaining to watch famous people banter even though they may not have met in real life.

The performers were offered an opportunity to play multiple roles with a range of accents and it is easy to see why these two talented troupes would be attracted to these powerful pioneers.

Some cast members fare better than others for the task involved. Laney Rodriguez is a standout as the campy, overcaffeinated Christine and Morgan Lavenstein makes Pope Joan her own.

Top Girls flounders a bit during the fancy feast and some of the forced antics don't work, like Marlene doing acrobatics in the room. Claire Kaplan carries the show on her shoulders as the conflicted Marlene, while Brenna DiStasio has created a believable onstage relationship with the riveting Ireon Roach.

Both shows tackle way too many topics for audiences to digest and would benefit from concise editing. Top Girls has two intermissions and is bogged down with unnecessary interview scenes and Pot Girls could cut the confessional at the end.

Booking both productions under the same roof will hopefully hammer home the point that there is a gender gap in many workplaces to this day. Modern theater goers can observe past disparities while empathetically walking in their shoes through their narratives. Sufficient changes in the workforce can't come soon enough and may not happen for many in their lifetime. Ignorant employers deserve to be haunted by ghosts and these Girls until the scales are more appropriately balanced in the future.

There are opportunities to watch both shows back-to-back as a marathon or separately. Pick up your tickets for Pot Girls running now until March 8, 2026, at thestorytheatre.org/tickets. For Top Girls tickets from now until March 22, click over to raventheatre.com.