TEENAGE GROWING PAINS

Test Copy (Viking, Clontarf, is a one-woman play written and performed with great energy by Roseanna Purcell. It gives us a macho version of female youth. Inevitably there’s a fine array of four- and six-letter language. Louise, a Tipperary convent schoolgirl, has none of the demure demeanour of well-spoken young ladies. ‘She brings us through her transition year of peer pressure, bullying, awakening sexuality, her uninhibited treatment of anyone she doesn’t like, and her idolisation of top tough girl, Phyllis. The dominant tone is of bawdy humour. One of the problems with shows that set a target of non-stop raucous humour based on rough language, is that there’s a bit of a come-down when the humour is replaced by serious stuff. Which is what happens when Louise eventually finds herself isolated. Runs until April 14.