Denise Deegan's 1983 play is a loving tribute to the post-war Schoolgirls novel, in which an all-round talented young woman faces trials and tribulations in a private school, involving achievements academic and sporting, plus a spot of treasure hunting and plucky adventurism, before finally winning the acclaim of all around her. It's the lightest of light entertainments, offering not much of significance beyond the enjoyment of a good old-fashioned adventure, with maybe a minor lesson about snobbery and good-old-british pluck, and is full of delightful period britishisms like "Scrummy" and "top hole".
Kate Blackhurst's production gives this an all female cast (for a play where all but two of the roles are female anyway), bouncing around Grangewood School for Girls in quick manner, from dorm to classroom to playing fields to hallways lined with secret clues. Ashleigh Butler narrates and plays the titular Daisy as a delightful charmer, the perfect heroine, with Elaine Noon romping delightfully as her sidekick Trixie. Up against her are Alex McPherson as the sneaky, snide Sybil, relishing all her worst qualities and Kara Taylor as her sneaky sidekick Monica. Lily Welling as prefect Claire Beamont attempts to keep everyone in line, plus Azerie Cromhoult's firm-but fair Miss Gibson as principal, and a staff varying from Antonia Kitzel's strict Miss Granville to Sue Gore Phillips' resolutely foreign-accented Mr Scoblowski who very successfully red-herrings his way through the plot.
Annie Kay designs the school, giving it a solid historic-oaken look with a charming set of school uniforms, while Nathan Sciberras lights to help us around the various locations and Neville Pye adds a few somewhat modern musical stings to help with the empahsis.
All in all this is a jolly fun romp of a play, with a rich team rolling us through Daisy's first student year as she faces perils, triumphs and a few surprise secrets on her way to a resolutely super-joyous-happy-ending.
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