"Fierce" by Gatepost Theatre Company.

Little Eaton Village Hall.

Ahead of Gatepost taking this show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, they stage a one night only performance of "Fierce", and as a bonus, we also get to see some of the young performers from "School Of Rock" - their next show - performing on stage.

The six young people showcased their vocal talents with songs that they had chosen as personal favourites. From "A Cock Eyed Optimist" through Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror" to a wonderfully arranged, darker version of Taylor Swift's "Love Story", They certainly whetted the audience's appetite for their September "School Of Rock" show.

"Fierce" is written and directed by Christopher Collington about seven women in history who were held back by various things, and did not therefore get their full recognition in history books. Each section tells their story. along with song, proving just how fierce they really are. Chris was also the sound man (Chris is always a sound man), and MC for the evening as well. It's not too late for a career in stand up comedy, Chris!

Mary Wollstonecraft, a writer, was best known for her book, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" published in 1792, in which she argues that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear to be only because they lack education. Mary is played by Lottie Lodge in this novel history lesson. Lottie also edited "Fierce".

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was well known for fighting against gender discrimination. Sarah Knight fights her case with true professionalism.

Mary Anning, portrayed by Jude Cliffman, was a palaeontologist who was the first to discover a complete skeleton of the dinosaurs plesiosaurus and ichthyosaurus. Jude, along with all of these wonderfully fierce women, show they are no dinosaurs with their dance moves!

Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, famed for her self-portraits and her use of vibrant colours is played by Rachelle Bragg, who is herself, as pretty as a picture. She is celebrated in Mexico for her attention to Mexican and indigenous culture and by feminists for her depiction of the female experience and form. Compliments on that Mexican accent also!

Grainne O’Malley, or Grace as she became known, was a female pirate from Ireland. When her husband was murdered by a rival clan, she took back Donal's castle after defeating the people who killed him. To this day, Grace O'Malley is seen as a symbol of Ireland and an inspiration for many modern songs, theatre productions and books. Through these, her legend lives on. This wonderful portrayal, complete with accent, was brought back to life by Laura Stone.

Billie Jean King, the gay tennis player, is portrayed by Kiah Smith. Outraged at the difference between men's and women's prizes at major tournaments, King spearheaded the drive for equal prize money and equal treatment of women. She is regarded by many as one of the greatest tennis players ever. Love all of this show that at times left the males watching feeling like calling for new balls please!!

Claire Rybicki plays Ada Lovelace. Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation. She's also famous for being the only legitimate child of Lord and Lady Byron; their other children were born out of wedlock. Everything all added up perfectly for this local lady: well both local ladies, Claire and Ada.

Every fierce woman also got to perform a song recorded and written by strong women to go with the character, which meant we had choreography. These pieces were choreographed by Lottie Lodge, Laura Stone, Jude Cliffman and Paige Upton. The stage is not the biggest but the routines just managed to fill every space on the stage. I'm going out on a limb here but I must especially mention the armography, which I thought was superb. Madonna's "Vogue" choreographer needs to take note.

The Lighting tonight was by Dominic Murray, who will be taking the road trip with the performers to replicate the design oop North to the foreign country that is Scotland. Don't blame me, blame Mr C; I just thought it was gigglesome.

The show is being transported up to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival to wow them up there - and from what I've been told, it's already selling out for many of Gatepost's shows up over the border! I think that I can proclaim, without walking 500 miles, that the Scots are going to love it, especially Grace's view of what held her back! The Sassenach's are coming!