Saloon Girls ★★★★

“Good evening. I’m going to tell you a little story. Is that all right?”

So begins Saloon Girls, a new ensemble-driven comedic drama with a spirited cast of six (yes, six) women. And fortunately, the answer to that opening gambit is: Yes, it’s more than all right. It’s downright welcome.

Set in the dressing room of a late 19th century saloon and brothel in Cripple Creek Colorado, Saloon Girls depicts the trials and tribulations of four women doing their best to survive in the American Wild West. They dance, they engage in sex work, and they try to envision a future brighter than the present they’re experiencing, all under the watchful eyes of one Madam Pearl Calico (Olivia Terrell, wonderfully officious), a strict boss who runs a tight ship complete with daily inspections and financial accountings. Madam gives out treats when deemed appropriate, but her overriding philosophy is always clear: Don’t bring in the dough, on the street you’ll go.

The unseen men in these women’s lives have been disappointing or dangerous, or both, and as a result these saloon girls are determined to have some semblance of agency, even if it means using their bodies. As Marvel (August Kiss Fegley), the most headstrong among them, says: “I’m not looking for someone to save me.” But Marvel’s sister Stevie (an impressive Aubree Ann Williams) is looking for such a person, and her unexpected arrival on the scene disrupts the relative status quo the women have worked hard to achieve. Inexperienced East Coaster Stevie’s naiveté is alarming to these hard-working women, leading one to ask her the immortal question: “I don’t get it. So you’ve never sucked a cock?”

Saloon Girls is no pokey steam locomotive; director and co-writer Katie Kunkel has the play barrelling through its series of engaging scenes in 55 fast-paced minutes. Perhaps too fast. Some of the bigger dramatic moments — particularly the climax of the play — could use a bit more time to breathe, but given the exigencies of Edinburgh Fringe productions, the play’s velocity is understandable.

To the credit of its three writers (Fegley, Kunkel and Alison Newton), Saloon Girls does not shrink away from the bawdy and harsh realities of sex work on the frontier. Also happily, this entire game and talented cast is very much up to the challenge. In addition to the aforementioned, Zoya Ansari makes an auspicious professional stage debut as Bim; Chloe Mutebi bears grounded emotional truths and charm as Estelle, Marvel’s lover; and as the very pregnant and ironically named Lucky, Alison Newton lands those all-important laughs. Finally, as Marvel, August Kiss Fegley has a commanding presence that cannot be ignored.

Reviewed at the East to Edinburgh 2025 Festival held at 59E59 Theaters in New York City.