“Daisy Pullls It Off” by Denise Deegan
Nottingham Lace Market Youth Theatre

If you’ve ever read any of Enid Blyton’s “Mallory Towers” books or even “Harry Potter” to a certain extent, you will know that private boarding schools are a rich picking ground for some wonderful characters, and Denise Deegan has created a spiffing set of characters in her novel which transcends so well to the stage, especially when the young actors have the enthusiasm for this play as they have. Not to mention the energy they need for this pacy show.

Daisy Meredith is an outsider to the elite girls normally admitted to Grangewood School for Girls because she is the first ever scholarship pupil, and this means that to some of the girls already there, she is a target for bullying. Fortunately she befriends Trixie and between the pair they embark on an adventure to recover the Beaumont family’s lost treasure and also other discoveries along the way. It’s all absolutely spiffing, topping and jolly hockysticks – oh yes there’s also a hockey match on stage as well! How do they do it? Do they find the missing treasure? Who is the mystery groundsman? Only one way to find out the answers to these questions!

Director Sarah Ogando has two lots of girls on alternate days, just to give all of the Youth Group a chance to perform in this lovely play.

Mary Kirwin (Daisy) and Adelaide Marshall (Trixie) have a great chemistry between them, on and off stage and between the pair the energy they exude would light up the whole theatre

Roisin Kelly (Sybil) and Maddy Stevens (Monica) are the bully ring-leaders, who by the end of the play have a lot to thank Daisy for.

Nina Drury (Clare) plays one of those good friends you need in school, especially when you're a new starter

Katherine Watts (Alice), Georgia Feghali (Belinda), Megan Murphy (Miss Gibson), Sasha Hylton (Miss Granville),Henry Vervoorts (Mr Scoblowski) - loved that accent, Henry, Lucia Lockley (Mademoiselle), Fred Stevenson ( Mr Thompson),Keira Fletcher (Winnie Irving),Daisy Donoghue (Dora Johnstone) and
Lauren Shelton (Mother) complete the cast that i saw.

There were only a couple of times that i missed hearing what was said on stage but this was opening night and having an audience can make a difference to the projection of an actor.

Loved the set, designed by Phil Makin.

Also enjoyed the classic boarding school choice of music (Luis Ogando), which helped set the whole feel of the era, and the whole sound was crystal clear (Jack Harris) and a lovely lighting design (Allan Green).

Denise Deegan's script provides the perfect vehicle for a predominantly female cast, and is just tremendously great fun - I may even say "topping". It's brilliant fun and I loved the way these young actors totally embraced the characterisation of their roles so spiffingly.

“Daisy Pulls It Off” is at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday March 30th.