Hourglass: A Suffragette Story – Soho Poly
‘Hourglass: A Suffragette Story’ was advertised as a dark comedy, but I could count on one hand the number of times any audience member could be heard laughing. It felt as though five acts had been thrown into hamster wheel of amateur dialogue and could not disembark. This was not helped by a hefty running time.
Set in the time before and during World War One, we watch a mother, daughter and their maid experience and support first wave British feminism. It seems that the men surrounding them has something to gain they seek to protect their social status, defend their gender or make their money. During Act 1, great ladles of pathos were heaped onto Kitty (Penny Bosworth), the maid-turned-beggar, by swamping the audience with repetitive scenes of her begging us. She is then offered reside...