The Revlon Girl

by Neil Anthony Docking

Set eight months following Aberfan Disaster of 1966 (in which 144 people were killed; 116 of them children) The Revlon Girl tells the real life story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every week above a local hotel to talk, cry and even laugh without feeling guilty. At one of their meetings, the women looked at each other and admitted how much they felt they'd let themselves go. So afraid that people would think them frivolous, they secretly arranged for a representative from Revlon to come and give them a talk on beauty tips.

Genres: Plays

84 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2018

Reviews

[Laurel]

THE REVLON GIRL deftly reveals the grim story of the "Aberfan disaster," in which over 100 children and teachers were killed, and the lasting impact on the Aberfan community. Docking tightly focuses on the village's mothers, allowing each of his carefully drawn, complex characters to hold her grief to the light for a moment.

[Rick Hyland]

Grieving mothers, coping with the fallout of the tragic Aberfan disaster. This story obviously has moments of tenderness and loss but it is also packed with humour and the interplay between the characters works a treat. Loved it!

[Daisy Leather]

I absolutely loved this. Reminded me of These Shining Lives - such complex women with such harrowing lives, all bonded together through a common, traumatic experience.

What a beautifully, tenderly written story based on such a horrifying, historical disaster.

[Mary]

Moving and devastating in its ordinariness, mixed with the most appalling and awful images.

[Courtney]

I really loved this show, and would love to be cast in it. The dialogue is very natural and captivating, and I like that it's done straight through with no intermission. In the final quarter of the play there's also a series of monologues without it feeling like a series of monologues, and I would really recommend those for any 30s actress needing one for auditions. Only slight qualm is when Rona uses the fake tanner and saying she looks like Eartha Kitt.
Highly recommend as a play.

[Demetria Hale]

⭐️4.5⭐️ This is a powerful play about the Aberfan disaster. The text is rich with history, grief, and humor. The female resilience and connections in this work reminded me of The Amish Project and These Shining Lives.

[Rebekah Parsons]

3.5. Picks up in the second act.

[Margaret]

Who's to say this wasn't written by Revlon corporate to boost their sales huh

[because_she_reads (Mira Jade)]

Definitely a play that could be well directed in terms of unspoken emotions and rising tensions between grieving mothers.

[libs :p]

Read for boooooook club :p



Fun fact about me; I love a play.

This makes me realise how much I want to read more plays.

This is a beautiful story of grief and loss and the turmoil that comes with trying to be yourself again after loss and being judged for “recovering too quick”.

It looks at how tragedy affects people in such varied ways, and it’s honestly such a riveting story.