Caryl Churchill's Top Girls opens with a fantastical dinner in which five infamous women from history -- including ninth century Pope Joan, Canterbury Tales' obedient wife Patient Griselda and Victorian-era world traveler Isabella Bird -- come together in celebration of Marlene, a London career woman who has just been promoted at the Top Girls employment agency. The women's drunken revelry reveals their shared experiences, and reflects the present-day issues facing Marlene -- whose success has come at a hefty price.