Mean Girls meets old-school comedy
Clever use of props and space at Jasper Place
Typified by girlish mischief and shenanigans, top-secret handshakes and catty cliques, Grangewood School for girls has got it all. But who could foresee the result of placing one red-haired, high-spirited elementary school graduate into an elite finishing school defined by its prestigious reputation? “Oh, Jemima!”… get your pencils ready.
Seizing the opportunity to showcase its performance of Daisy Pulls it Off in an unconventional space, Jasper Place High School utilized every single angle of its “found” space, transforming its backstage into onstage and its brilliant set into an endless source of unique entrances and exits. With the familiar feel of Anne of Green Gablesmeets-contemporary Mean Girls, this award-winning production successfully toured in London for three years with more than 1,000 performances.
Set in the 1920s, the play follows the funny antics of the young and all-too-ambitious Daisy Meredith as she learns to face and overcome pompous snobbery with the help of a host of new-found friends.
The most effective props created were not made of raw materials but rather raw talent, as students flowed into graceful living conglomerates such as the swinging school gates. Bobbing up and down with conviction and ease, cast members jostled about on the most basic of props so convincingly that when the train whistle blew, audience members nearly felt the rumbling of train tracks under their toes and quite expected their heads to jerk out to the side in time with the slam of the brakes.
How uncommonly delightful it is to find an actress with enough gumption and vigour to invoke contagious laughter, heartfelt sympathy and utter energy-envy — all before the end of the first scene.
Melissa Wilk possessed unmatchable spirit and admirable oomph as the heroine Daisy.
Proving it takes more than just a whip of braided hair and a fancy silk bathrobe to be bratty, Hannah Haugen and Jenna Kormos (Monica Smithers and Sybil Burlington respectively) made bullying look easy. Preceded by her goofy giggles wherever she pranced, Myah Skibin flawlessly executed the role of Daisy’s trusty sidekick and bosom buddy Trixie Martin. Ben Osgood as Mr. Scoblowski delivered focused arm gestures beneath the swoosh of a waving cape along with a consistent Russian accent that would have left the Count from Sesame Street envious of his swagger.
Identical crisp white shirts, blue knee-length dresses and different brightly coloured skirt sashes for each separate form graced every student at Grangewood School and helped create a feeling of conformity. A culmination of ingenuity and cast participation, the cliff rescue scene featured draping lengths of blue cloth shaken into waves by students holding spray bottles mercilessly misting anyone in their wake.
The entire cast and crew of Daisy Pulls it Off were truly in splendid form, demonstrating that as long as you keep your chin up and steer clear of casual hobnobbing, you’ll surely pull it off.