Daisy Pulls if Off

Synopsis

It's 1927 and Daisy Meredith is the first scholarship girl taken from an elementary school to be allowed access to the hallowed halls of Grangewood School for Young Ladies. Enthusiastic and plucky to the last, Daisy finds herself struggling against unspeakable snobs Sybil and Monica and their ghastly schemes to get her expelled. Ably assisted by her new best friend, madcap and self styled poet, Trixie Martin, Daisy finds herself caught up in a series of irresistible adventures including the search for missing treasure. Can they work out the mysterious clues and save the school from closure? Or will they be beaten by the enigmatic Mr Scoblowski? This riotous and affectionate pastiche of the classic girls' school story was a huge West End hit and won the Olivier Award and Drama Theatre Award for Best Comedy. Full of hilarious characters and splendid scrapes Daisy Pulls it Off celebrates, with a sly wit and a big heart, an arguably sweeter, more innocent era.

Our Review:

Nancy Groves - 22 January 2010

Watching Daisy Pulls It Off is a double exercise in nostalgia. Firstly of the false but infinitely enjoyable kind, the celebration of the jolly hockey sticks lifestyle of a 1920s girls’ boarding school - familiar from books, experienced by few. Secondly, and this conjures up more real and embarrassing memories, Denise Deegan’s pastiche is a play I performed in during my own school days.

This wouldn’t warrant mention except that I am not alone. Thanks to its large cast and simple staging, Deegan’s play is hugely popular with schoolgirl drama groups, though rarely revived professionally despite winning the equivalent of an Olivier Award at its 1983 premiere.

Director Nadine Hanwell’s production transfers to the Arts Theatre from Barons Court with a stirling report. In that sense, it's rather like its heroine Daisy Meredith, an elementary (i.e. state school) pupil who wins a scholarship to the exclusive Grangew...

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Latest User Review

chris wade - 26 January 2010:

I really enjoyed this, i was dragged along and didn't expect to be impressed, but i sat with a smile for the whole show and laughed out loud and was laughing so much i cried twice. Not bad for someone who prefers musicals...

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