Casting announced for Daisy Pulls It Off at the Park Theatre
Casting has been announced for a revival of Denise Deegan's award-winning play Daisy Pulls It Off, which will run at the Park Theatre from December.
The play is a parody of 1920s boarding schoolgirl novels, and follows Daisy, Grangewood School for Girls new student, the first scholarship student at the school. Daisy, who is from an underprivileged background, is forced to put up with pranks and prejudice from her new classmates as she attempts to earn a group of friends.
The play won the 1983 Olivier Award for Best Comedy and ran at what is now the Gielgud Theatre, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, for three years and starred actresses such as Kate Buffery, Samantha Bond and Lia Williams.
Anna Shaffer, known for playing Romilda Vane in the Harry Potter film series, will lead the cast of the Park Theatre revival, directed by Paulette Randall.
The cast also includes Pauline McLynn (Playboy of the Western World, Donmar Warehouse), Shobna Gulati (Dinnerladies), Clare Perkins (Primetime, Royal Court), Melanie Fullbrook (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Southwark Playhouse), Lucy Eaton (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Donmar Warehouse) and Freddie Hutchins (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Southwark Playhouse).
Announcing the cast, Randall said: "We knew straightaway that we were never going to cast an actual bunch of 12-year-old schoolgirls to portray the play's army of smart, brave and hilarious characters. So why even try with a bunch of sort-of lookalikes? Instead, we've thrown the rulebook out the window, casting a brilliant bunch of talented and diverse actors who, gloriously, tick none of the boxes.
"Not being bound by age and race has been such a freeing experience, and the results are hugely exciting. Our only criteria were: Are they smart? Are they brave? And - most importantly - are they hilarious? It's all about creating a modern Daisy for a modern London crowd."
With designs by Libby Watson, the production will run at Park Theatre (Park200) from 5th December to 13th January, with an official opening on 8th December.
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