EDINBURGH 2023: Review: WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, Assembly

What Girls Are Made Of first came to the Fringe in 2018 ahead of a tour and then a return to the festival in 2019. Written and performed by Cora Bissett and directed by Orla O’Loughlin, What Girls Are Made Of is based on Cora’s teenage diaries and experiences of leaving school and fronting an indie band called Darlingheart.

Hailing from Glenrothes, Fife, Cora answered an advert in the Fife Free Press looking for a singer. She got the gig and the band quickly entered into a deal with Dirk Divine, a man who promised them big things. We see the 90s indie rock scene through the eyes of a naive teenage girl who just wants to perform. 

While Bissett and her story is the focus of this show, it's very much an ensemble piece. Returning cast members Simon Donaldson and Harry Ward are superb, switching between arrogant A&R men, Bissett’s gentle Irish father, teenage girls and her no-nonsense mother. They also play instruments onstage, soundtracking their rise to fame and support slots for the likes of Blur and Radiohead. On drums for this run of shows is Cathryn Archer who joins the band on a recommendation from Cora, a girl from school who is a year younger than her. It’s a funny, emotional and exhilarating piece of gig theatre.

It’s a very personal show which is what makes it so special. The story goes beyond the music years to a venture into drama school, a stint busking in London and the heartbreak of losing a parent and trying to start a family. What Girls Are Made Of is the kind of show that will shatter your heart and then fill it to the brim with fierce joy. 

There are slight changes to the script, including a beautiful addition to the final song which features a list of inspirational women who made music history- Sinead O’Connor. 

Now. It would be remiss of me not to mention that I have reviewed this show before. When reflecting on my decade of reviewing with BroadwayWorld back in February, I cited it as my favourite theatre piece of all time. There might even be a small Shetland pony tattoo tribute to this show on my right ankle. So does it hold up to the impossibly high standards I had set for its 2023 return?

Is it still my all-time favourite piece of theatre?

Yes.

Badass Shetland ponies for life. 

Photo credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

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