Plain Jane (Manchester)

Plain Jane is an excellent play about a young girl moving to an exclusive boarding school, who falls naively into the hands of two agressors Becki (Elisabeth Hopper) and Holly (Caitlin Joseph) and rip innocent Jane (Sarah Winter) to shreds. This is a narrative that works on many levels, but for any female teen in the audience, it is so familiar that it works wonders. 

The actors give realistic performances against a backdrop of bullying, teenage language and situations. Each of them perfectly explore the feeling of being the new girl at school and how being a bit different makes it hard to fit in and settle.

Paul Sockett ‘s Roger is the average male; awkward yet funny and this makes him a very interesting, comic character and entertaining to watch thanks to this gifted actor.

The narrative flows smoothly with quick scene changes, featuring contemporary music that appeals to a teenage audience. The plight of Plain Jane is well realised, as the characters are well written and performed.  

The audience on the night I attended were in fits of laughter, but as much of the comedy is dark, it also leaves the audience with a bittersweet taste in their mouths as these teens are unstoppable bullies and we hate to admit that this world exists.

This dark, yet hilarious play should be seen by young people, as it is easy to watch with a simple, yet interesting storyline and many audience members will find themselves relating to the characters and the situations – performed with relish by a top notch cast.

Unmissable!

– Hannah Sadler