All the Fraudulent Horse Girls journeys from Pleasance’s Ace Dome into a horse girl’s bedroom in Sydney before whirling away to the deserts of Mexico for a heart-wrenching drama.
Various depictions of the psyche of one lonely 11-year-old Audrey come together in an emotional expression of what it truly means to be ‘the weird kid.’ Audrey’s voice is strong enough to remain tangible even when she herself is shifting through different versions of herself. It’s that childlike voice and the artfully captured innocence of a child that allows All the Fraudulent Horse Girls to touch on fraught, dark themes in an accessible way.
When it comes to the cast, Cazeleōn does a remarkable job of making the audience fall in love with Audrey, while Alice Morgan-Richards also deserves special mention for bringing the wide-eyed hysteria that only true horse girls will recognise. Truly though, it’s clear that All the Fraudulent Horse Girls is a team effort, from the whirlwind of the stage setting, the live band, and the immersive nature of the audience interaction.
At its core, All the Fraudulent Horse Girls humanises the stereotypes that surround loneliness among children, capturing emotions that feel almost too big for the 11-year-old main character’s small self. If there is one criticism to be made, it’s that the lesson for Audrey almost seems to be to let go of her strangeness as she grows up. It would perhaps have been more heartwarming for the voice of horse girls around the world to encourage her to embrace her quirks.
Some moments lingered a little too long, such as the opening music and some of the Mexican desert stretches, allowing my attention to wander around the stage. Thankfully, the detail that had gone into the staging gave me something to take in, but All the Fraudulent Horse Girls could learn to end some moments a little earlier.
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Nonetheless, these are quibbles in what was a series of flawless performances, culminating in a work that perfectly captured youthful loneliness and bonding masterfully.
