Writer: Denise Deegan

Director: Caroline Leslie

Reviewer: Jim Nicholson

The Public Reviews Rating:

Firstly let me give you two names for your notebook, Emerald O’Hanrahan and Rosie Jones, remember you heard it here first, these are two young performers destined for the very top.

Recent revivals of Denise Deegan’s ‘Daisy Pulls It Off’ have been poorly received on the London scene but once again the Watermill has shown Britain how it should be done.

Caroline Leslie has taken this ‘yarn’ and made it an event not to be missed, just as it was back in 1983 when it won the SWET (nowadays renamed as the Laurence Olivier Awards) for Best Comedy.

O’Hanrahan, as our heroine Daisy, is fresh, endearing and totally captivating in a five star performance that is simply capital, spiffing and ensures a topping night out for one and all. But even she is outdone, if you can outdo a five star showing, by Jones who as ‘toady’ Trixie is quite simply stunning. If there is a better young actress performing in this country today then we are one blessed nation.

Set in 1927 this tells the story of the 4th form pupils of top girls school Grangewood putting on their play about the 4th form pupils of Grangewood School for Girls.

Daisy has won the first ever scholarship at the elite institution and is therefore resented by many. But of course she is better at everything than each and every one of her detractors. These rotters have to resort to dastardly underhand deeds to rid themselves of such riff raff and get the blighter expelled and packed off back to the common elementary school from which they think she should never have been allowed to escape.

Of course Daisy wins out and heroically comes up trumps saving the day on the hockey field, saving lives on the cliff face and saving the school from financial ruin via a hidden treasure find. It is all great fun and our two stars steal just about every scene.

That said there are fine showings from head girl Clare, played by Holly Goss, and the piggy and nasty pairing of Monica (Jaimi Barbakoff) and Sybil (Amy Downham).

The female adult figures are all covered by Elizabeth Marsh who, as always, is a joy to watch and her male counterpart, Robert Maskell, is spot on be he a Russian teacher, the long lost father or the lord of the manor He even fits nicely into a dress, there again he should do as he has recently been covering the role of Albin in ‘La Cage aux Foilles’ on the West End stage.

Chloe Lamford’s sets are very imaginative and the use of a three way backboard enables us to easily move from class room, to school hall, to refectory. The balcony is effectively used cliff rescue wise and there is much laughter associated with the standard lamp in the office of the headmistress.

Paul Herbert’s music fits nicely with snobbish school life and Beryl Waddle-Brown has come up with a very enjoyable school song.

This production is not to be missed, you only have around six weeks as it only runs through to July 10th, so book now as it will not be long before the sold out signs go up.

My one regret of the evening was the no show of Daisy’s brothers. Perhaps that’s an idea for a Denise Deegan follow up, Dick, Douglas, Daniel and Duncan off to Dartmouth. Not sure where Deegan got the idea for her character names, but rumour has it that she also had four brothers with Derek, David, Donald and Dominic proving a real inspiration to her.

Photo: Philip Tull – Runs until 10th July

Daisy Pulls It Off - Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Tags: 2010, Amy Downham, Bagnor, Beryl Waddle-Brown, Caroline Leslie, Chloe Lamford, Denise Deegan, Drama, Elizabeth Marsh, Emerald O’Hanrahan, Holly Goss, Jaimi Barbakoff., Newbury, Paul Lambert, Robert Maskell, Rosie Jones, Watermill Theatre