Review: Daisy Pulls It Off, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Daisy Pulls It Off
Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Reviewed on Tuesday 12th March 2013 (Press Night)

Ovation Productions have done it again! Daisy Pulls It Off is a quintessentially British piece of theatre which does not fail to impress. Upstairs at the Gatehouse is a very quaint and lovely space and as I took my seat I felt as if I was sat in a school assembly hall. As the lights go up, a singing lesson commences led by James Yeoburn. From the names on the trophy plaque to the English dictionary on the bookshelf, the set design is marvellous with incredible attention to detail.

Set in an all girls private school in the heart of England in 1927, Daisy Pulls It Off features a play within a play. The show tells the tale of new girl, Daisy Meredith (an elementary school student who has been awarded a scholarship) and her fight to prove that she deserves her place at Grangewood school as much as the young (and sometimes old) girls who also attend the school.

The casting is sheer genius. While some of the cast are in their twenties and others are in their eighties, they  all unite to play students alongside one another. The comic timing was played upon wonderfully by the cast and the play features beautiful direction from Thom Southerland.

I felt the first half dragged on at times. However, luckily the second act was a lot stronger than the first and I would have liked to have seen equal strength in the first act. As I rifled through the programme I noticed that each cast member has a picture printed of them as a child which is such a thoughtful touch. 

The set was simplistic yet engaging. A stand out performance comes from Adam Venus who hysterically portrays three contrasting characters. Stand out performances also come from Holly Dale Spencer as Daisy and Gillian Mccafferty as Trixie. Both give outstanding, highly realistic performances.

Daisy Pulls It Off is a lovely piece of theatre and takes you on a journey back to a time in Britain where everyone always said their pleases and thank you's. I would definitely recommend catching it whilst you still can.

Reviewed by Jamie Chapman Dixon
contact@westendframe.com

Daisy Pulls It Off runs Upstairs at the Gatehouse until Sunday 14th April 2013.

Please visit www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com for further information and to book tickets.

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