By arts editor HELEN MUSA

Canberra REP is stepping back into the world of midnight feasts, secret codes, hockey finals and boarding-school adventures with Daisy Pulls It Off, Denise Deegan’s Olivier Award-winning comedy, opening this Friday.

A send-up of classic British schoolgirl stories, the play follows scholarship student Daisy Meredith as she arrives at the Grangewood School for Girls. Coming from a modest background, Daisy quickly finds herself the target of snobbery and bullying from some of the school’s wealthier students, but sets out to prove she belongs.

What follows is an improbable romp involving hidden treasure, coded messages, false accusations, sporting triumphs, mysterious teachers and last-minute rescues, embracing every cliché of the genre while poking fun at it.

Director Kate Blackhurst says the play’s enduring appeal lies in its warmth and optimism.

A familiar face to Canberra theatre audiences through productions including Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Blithe Spirit, Blackhurst leads an  all-female cast headed by Ashleigh Butler as Daisy. Elaine Noon appears as Daisy’s madcap friend Trixie Martin and Alex McPherson plays Sybil Burlington, Daisy’s cruel, conceited nemesis, while a large ensemble brings Grangewood’s students and staff to life.

The production also marks a significant creative undertaking for designer Annie Kay, who is responsible for the show’s complete visual world, from costumes and props to the set itself. In a family collaboration, she is working alongside her father, veteran theatre practitioner Andrew Kay.

Beyond the comedy, Daisy Pulls It Off carries themes that still resonate today. Daisy’s struggle against prejudice and exclusion, and her determination to succeed on merit rather than privilege, gives the story a contemporary edge beneath its cheerful surface.

Canberra Rep will also host a special fundraising performance on September 16 in partnership with Fearless Women, with proceeds supporting mentoring and counselling programs for girls and young women across the ACT.

Interview opportunity: Director Kate Blackhurst is available for interviews at Canberra REP Theatre or by phone. Contact Julie McElhone on 0421 241151 or Jay Pisa on 0403 900234.

Daisy Pulls It Off plays at Canberra Repertory Theatre, Acton, September 11-26.

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