by Alan Jozwiak
When I first heard the title of A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar), by Lulu Raczka, I assumed the play might be an homage to joke structure.
Seeing it now at Falcon Theatre, I realize, as with many first impressions, I was off-the-mark.
Rather than a comic play, A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) is a serious and emotional journey for two females (one a 15-year old schoolgirl and the other an adult) trying to make sense of an impossible situation. Touches of humor appear, and lighten their journey.
While I did not attend the opening weekend’s performances because of the snowpocalyse, I had a chance to attend the second week’s performances.
The Story and Themes
A Girl in School Uniform (Walks Into A Bar) is a two-hander. Kaitlin McCulloch plays the part of barkeep Bell and Ella Prather plays the part of titular uniformed schoolgirl, Steph. At the start of the play Prather, dressed in a school uniform, walks into the bar, and shows McCulloch a photo of her best friend Charlie, who has gone missing.
From that simple premise, the play begins to explore a number of different themes and ideas. It becomes an investigation into the disappearance of Charlie, as well as a role-playing exercise that presents alternative perspectives—similar to what Athol Fugard does in Blood Knot—particularly through Steph’s reenactment of her visit to the police station to report Charlie’s disappearance. The play also serves as a way to address violence against women, specifically through their disappearance and possible death. At the same time, it raises questions about why Charlie would have ended up in Bell’s bar in the first place and examines the evolving relationship between the two females at the center of the story.
The play does not provide clear explanations for the situation the characters find themselves in. We are never told why women are disappearing, how long the disappearances have been happening, or how many women have gone missing. This lack of specificity turns the play into a mystery that the audience must piece together over time, using the information revealed through the characters’ different revelations.
Production Team
Director Samantha Joy Weil leans into the play’s mystery by emphasizing the actors’ attempts to make sense of what is happening around them. While the script itself could offer a few more breadcrumbs to clarify the rules of this world, Joy Weil makes effective use of what is provided, keeping the audience engaged as they try to piece together the larger mystery.
The two actors playing the different roles provide some fine moments over the course of the play. The play does not fully hit its stride until the first blackout when their role-playing begins to take on dangerous dimensions. At this point, both McCulloch and Prather deliver outstanding performances. Prather has to deal with her own anxieties and McCulloch delivers an unforgettable story about a boy who shrugs. I don’t want to say more for fear of spoilers. This is a play where knowing too much in advance can definitely spoil your own meaning-making process.
While I often ignore the musical interludes during a show, I find these are particularly effective. As Sound Designer, Samantha Joy Weil chooses music that emphasizes the mood and helps guide the audience with scene transitions.
While watching the play, it took me some time to fully warm up to it. In the early scenes, I found myself wishing for more sarcasm from McCulloch’s Bell. Without it, Bell’s transformation by the end of the play is harder to track. Ultimately, Bell’s character reveals herself as an onion, shedding layer after layer with every interaction with Steph.
Despite these quibbles, A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) is a fascinating study of what characters do under stressful situations.
An Intermission Can Serve A Purpose
One other important aspect of this production is that it includes an intermission. In looking at reviews of other productions, it appears that many have chosen to perform the play without one.
Wisely, Joy Weil decides to have one after the particularly heavy blackout sequence. I appreciated that choice because the intermission acts as a psychic reset to get ready to see the last half. With this intermission, the first half runs about an hour and fifteen minutes, with the second half being about twenty-five to thirty minutes.
One final caveat about this play: the end of the first half left me scratching my head, with many questions still unanswered. While the second half does not explain everything, there is enough resolution that I ultimately felt more satisfied.
Overall
A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) is a play that I am still mulling over. I do not have any definitive answers over its meaning, but that is part of the fun of watching plays like this. You think about it long after the show is over.
Tickets
A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) is being presented through February 7, 2026 at Falcon Theater on Monmouth Street, in Newport, KY. Click here for tickets.
