For the second production in their centenary year, Sidmouth Amateur Dramatic Society presented Daisy Pulls it Off, written by Denise Deegan and directed by Tanya Rees, at the Manor Pavilion Theatre.

The piece almost certainly evoked memories amongst older audience members, for although set at the prestigious Grangewood School for Girls in 1927, the tunics, girdles, staff gowns and assembly hymns certainly were still the order of the day for several decades after!

In this play within a play the central character of Daisy, an elementary school pupil, gains a scholarship to Grangewood and although top of the class in everything and excelling in sport and music, she struggles to be accepted and is the object of some spiteful teasing and practical jokes. As the story bowled along in 'spiffing' fashion Daisy and her one chum Trixie searched for the hidden treasure of the Beaumonts in the hope of saving the family fortunes.

Drawing on pupils from five local schools together with SADS adult and junior members the cast all did a super job! It was good to see Mark Chapman back on stage playing Daisy’s long-lost father, Chris Shepherd, Tanya Nelson, and Chris Hall, made suitably authoritative members of staff with Beverly Stratford an excitable Mademoiselle!

All the girls played their roles with enthusiasm, and there were some lovely moments on the pretend hockey pitch, in the 'virtual' library, and the portrait gallery. Freya Ford and Alisha Hunt-Mwebaze made kindly but firm 'seniors' and Florence Rousseau was perfectly horrid as the spiteful Sybil, who finally apologises when she realises that Daisy was actually a 'good egg'! The delightful younger members of the school were full of energy and gusto with dormy midnight feasts and hot water bottle fights, acting as narrators, at times in darkness, from their downstage dormitory.

All the hymns were rousingly performed with sympathetic accompaniment by Musical Director Richard Burdett in the wings.

Trixie and Daisy made for truly believable friends and Isobel Blandamer gave sterling support to Bronwyn Aires who was perfectly 'spot-on' as Daisy, and who did without a doubt most certainly 'pull it off'!