Cloud Nine: On cross gender casting and subversion of gender roles

I'm only slightly taking the piss with this journal title. I sort of wanted to see if anyone would actually read it. Basically, I've just finished reading the play Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill and, people of Mibba, it blew my mind. I mean, look at the stage directions:

ACT I
CLIVE
BETTY, his wife, played by a man
JOSHUA, his black servant, played by a white
EDWARD, his son, played by a woman
VICTORIA, his daughter, a dummy
MAUD, his mother-in-law
ELLEN, Edward's governess
HARRY BAGLEY, an explorer
MRS SAUNDERS, a widow

Added to which Ellen loves Betty, Betty loves Harry Bagley, Harry Bagley loves Edward, Edward also loves Victoria's doll and many other things besides. And that's just the first act. It's all very post-colonial and messing with sexual politics. The whole play completely mad if you ask me. Completely mad in a good way, that is. I'm still sitting here going 'hm, I see what she did there' or wondering why she did certain things. I'm doing Drama in English right now and it's just dawning on me how theatre has the ability to mess with your head in a whole new way.

So, essentially, I didn't think I could possibly write a book review on this play because it would be impossible to organise my thoughts, hence the journal. Read Cloud Nine, it won't take you long and it'll warp your mind. It's great.