Horse Girls follows a group of tweens who make up the passionate and prestigious Lady Jean Ladies, a dedicated group to all things horses. Lead by the aggressive alpha dog (or horse) Ashleigh (played by Tamzen Hayes) this club, bursting with different personalities, holds their regular weekly meeting that quickly descends in chaotic madness.
Horse girls is a dramatic and fast paced dark comedy, with sharp writing (by Jenny Rachel Weiner) and brilliantly choreographed and directed physical humour (direction by Eugenie Muggleton). This show is camp and silly, a perfect morsel of female adolescences wrapped in a violent twist. The audience is introduced to the club by Camille (Candice Leask), the promiscuous caricature of the group, through the eyes of her newcomer cousin Trish (Mish Keating). Camille quickly explains each girls’ role in the club to Trish, acting as a character guide for the audience.
The Lady Jean Ladies are stupid as only teen girls can be, leading to hilarity and at times surprising depth and gravitas. It was an interesting experience watching young ladies be so naïve and silly, but in that naivety, they were able to express genuine and universal feelings of grief and loneliness. Weiner was able to capture a glimpse of what we all experience through the outrageously loud camp concepts of this show.
The chemistry and social hierarchy within this ensemble is perfectly balanced. The balance of the relationships allows for on point comedic timing and delivery, cementing the cringe core status of this show. This peaks during the horse song, which, oh wow, contained choreography that teenage me would be so jealous and proud of. The performance in its entirety was acutely accurate and hilarious.
In an attempt to calm the group, the girls try to reach Anne Romney for advice. After the show I conducted my own search on google, it was confirmed that this is the wife of Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and a big equestrian enthusiast. The girls were unsuccessful in contacting Anne, and as a result their connections with each other proceeded to quickly break down into violent discourse. The teetering balance of power ruptured, causing chasms in the group.
Horse Girls embodied the savage way teen girls love and hate. The Lady Jean Ladies Club reflected the passion of my adolescence, with a smattering more drama and violence. This show got audiences continuously laughing for the first 80% of the show, and mouths agape for the final 20%. The passion of the cast was genuine and infectious, I feel like I now need to be careful how I approach any horse enthusiasts.
To book tickets to Horse Girls, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/horse-girls.
