A handful of multi-roling actors took to the Liverpool Playhouse stage last night and had the audience on its feet in just over an hour.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is a new musical from the producers of the global hit show SIX, and tells the stories of several important female figures throughout history.
It's based on the smash hit book of the same name by Liverpool author and illustrator Kate Pankhurst. Kate says the idea for the book began as a "small doodle".
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The fact it's ended up as a hit book and new touring theatre show echoes its simple but powerful message of "follow your passion".
The show begins with young Jade - played by four actresses during its run, with Eva-Marie Saffrey treading the Playhouse's boards last night - hiding in a museum while on a school trip in a bid to have an adventure.
With her plush bear Bearonce in tow, the museum shuts up shop and Jade meets iconic figures that helped shape the rights and paths of many women today.
Actors Jade Kennedy, Renee Lamb, Frances Mayli McCann and Christina Modestou effectively switch between playing Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Emmeline Pankhurst and Jane Austen to dazzle and delight audiences with catchy songs and insight into these "fantastically great women".
There were some sketchy, off-key vocals at times but it didn't detract from the overall power of the performances and the energy which dominated the stage.
The show is incredibly inspirational, a battle call to women everywhere to stand up and be themselves.
There's moments of comedy and poignancy, with Jade revealing her parents' impending divorce is a driving force behind her quest to figure things out at such a young age.
One particularly emotive scene sees Jade sitting down with Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white person inspired a movement which evoked changes to laws that helped in the ongoing fight towards racial equality.
Jade opens up to Rosa, with both women confiding their feelings in such a raw and beautiful manner, it was easy to forget they were merely performers on a famous stage. When Anne Frank made a brief appearance to sit with Rosa and Jade for a song, the emotion in the auditorium was palpable.
I could have listened to the talented trio for much longer.
At times, the show does feel like a school history lesson but it's an important one, and one that I'd recommend people of all ages and genders go and see.
Ultimately, it strives to educate and inspire audiences, encouraging us all to follow our passions and make a difference in our world - however big or small that difference may be.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre in Williamson Square until January 2 2022.
You can book tickets here.
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