Drawing inspiration from an incident where Germaine Greer was taken hostage in her English home, Joanna Murray-Smith’s The Female of the Species is a farcical exposition of feminism in the twenty-first century.

Margot Mason is a famous feminist writer and struggling to finish her latest book. When her country home is invaded by an obsessed and confused gun-toting fan, her indignity knows no bounds.

Murray-Smith's writing is cleverly delicious ensuring the pace never slackens as each character is introduced. Delivering the audience plenty of brilliant ripostes, no point of view is off-limits as feminist ideology wildly clashes.

Director Catherine Fitzgerald handles the six improbable characters and Murray-Smith’s material with ease, offering a production that is paced with well-timed laughs and action.

Modeled slightly on Greer herself, Amanda Muggleton plays Mason with hilarious conviction, even when handcuffed to her writing desk. In her first outing for State Theatre, Rhiannon Owen is outstanding as the gun-toting, Molly.

Michaela Cantwell is wonderfully mad as Tess, Mason’s uber-conservative daughter. As her husband, Peter Michell is dryly snaggish as Bryan, while Tony Briggs was slightly wooden as the alpha-male taxi-driver, Frank. Geoff Revell is highly amusing as the camply dapper publisher, Theo.

Mary Moore’s set of a modern country house set within the screen of a laptop is a delight. Direct from the pages of Vogue, it is tastefully decorated with Mason’s literature and female iconista, while three well placed bovines act as metaphorical sacred cows.

The State Theatre Company of South Australia has scored a winner with The Female of the Species. This highly amusing piece has set the bar in what will be a stunner season.