I’m Not Saying We Should, But What If We Did? brings belly laughs from the first few beats, and it’ll keep you laughing just as much as it will make you think.
Two women are running for political office, pushing bold policies like banning those over the age of 45 from going out during the day – and even banning men altogether. I’m Not Saying We Should, But What If We Did? puts those women on a talk show interview and their policies (and experiences) under the spotlight.
Seamless tech work is embedded as part of the show from the off, pulled together with an effortlessness you’d think came from a much larger and more experienced production.
Leads Harriet Pringle and Lizzie White, who play the campaigning politicians Maud and Agnes, well deserve to go on to great roles, embodying astonishing emotional range and depth in 50 minutes that flies by. It’s their combined authenticity that underlines the powerful stories, ones that the audience can empathise with. Their performances bring a more relatable edge to the larger-than-life characters that such a fast-paced whirlwind sorely needs – and it works a charm.
Credit has to go to the rest of the cast as well, who bring explosive energy that brings the fictional talk show to life. Somehow, the audience is whisked away into Maud and Agnes’ world. Are the policies that they put forward that crazy, when you consider what women go through? As Maud and Agnes ask, ‘is it bold?’
Although there are topical references to male politicians, there aren’t enough that it becomes a dig at anyone in particular. Instead, criticism of the wider political atmosphere in 2025 is raised, leaving enough room for you to draw your own conclusions. I’m Not Saying We Should, But What If We Did? is not attempting to spoon-feed you a lesson: it’s just asking the questions.
The women on stage become what the world paints them as. The audience, in forming expectations and judgements, is complicit in that, becoming part of the show in a neat final scene that leaves you questioning everything you’ve just seen in I’m Not Saying We Should, But What If We Did?
