The Edinburgh Seven tells the inspiring true story of the first seven women to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and the trials and injustices that these women had to endure. It is being performed at Greenside @ Riddles Court in the Thistle Theatre.
Importance is placed on the stories of three of these seven. First, Sophia Jex-Blake (played by Poppy Kimitris), the leader of the movement. Isabel Thorne (Orsolya Haynes) also plays a key role in this production, which explores how her grief over her lost baby encouraged her to join Jex-Blake’s campaign to study medicine. Alongside these two figures, the audience is also introduced to Edith Pechey (played by Tatiana Kneale), who often placed top of her class and was cheated out of an award that she had rightfully won.
All seven cast members gave exceptional performances in The Edinburgh Seven. In the first few scenes, they would occasionally all speak in unison, and the power in their voices sent shivers down my spine. Kimitris’s portrayal of Jex-Blake oozes charisma and makes it easy to see why the rest of the Edinburgh Seven were eager to join her cause. Haynes’s monologue is nothing short of heart-breaking, which is a sharp contrast to Kneale’s softer approach – both of these are equally powerful in their own way.
The costume design is incredible – each of the seven cast members is dressed in clothes that represent different anatomical features. Some of these are more obvious (for instance, Kimitris’s heart-shaped brooch and Kneale’s brain-shaped hair clip), whereas others are more subtle (such as Haynes’s veil and Aitchison’s spinal sash). These costumes serve as a figurative insight into what each of the seven women brought to the cause (Jex-Blake being the heart, and Pechey being the brains), and, later, as a subtle reminder of what occurred before their Anatomy examination.
The Edinburgh Seven is an astonishingly powerful and inspiring production. The cast flourishes under Alice Banks’s direction and brings to life this incredible true story in a way that will leave audiences entirely spellbound.
