Daisy Pulls It Off: A Comedy

by Denise Deegan

Follows the adventures of a poor but plucky scholarship student as she tries to find acceptance at an exclusive English boarding school for young ladies.

Genres: Plays, Fiction, School

55 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Cindy_E2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Daisy Pulls It Off as the book and the school play. This genre wasn't my favorite, but it was still a very interesting book to read and to watch the play. I recommend this book to people who likes to read the book and watch the play.

[PurpleBootz13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though definitely not the most exciting or thought-provoking play I've ever read/performed in, I can say that this play is a 100% enjoyable romp through an English all-girls boarding school. The characters are all bigger than life with the personalities and lines to match. It's sort of a huge, fluffy concoction of campy suspense and mystery. If you perform in it, you probably don't want to be Daisy, as she is the character with the least interesting traits. She is the perfect girl you feel bad hating but can't help wanting to kick because she's so honorable and plucky.

[Aditi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just such a cute book and a very short read which I got through in an hour .
Daisy Meredith is a former elementary school pupil who gets accepted into a private girls school through a scholarship. Through both struggles and laughs , she finds her way through her first year of Grangewood.

SPOILERS!!!
I didn't love the way the whole play was written. I found that it was exhausting reading through the whole book and found myself fighting an urge to just want to skip to the end. There were many words that were repeated and some of the play didn't grasp my attention.
However there were many positives to oppose my negatives. I found that the overall plot of the play was very cute as a girl who wants to experience a boarding private school for myself. I found Daisy to be much like myself ; an academic and an adventurer and therefore enjoyed reading about some of her adventures especially her journey to try to discover the Beaumont treasure. The best part was the spin on the end where Mr Thompson turns out to be Daisy's father and one of the sons of Sir Digby Beaumont. I found that the relationship between Daisy and her father immediately after discovering was not as awkward as I thought it was going to be and I did find the whole relationship spin very cute.

Overall , the negatives and positives weighed out so I gave this book a 3 out of 5

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this at South London Theatre and hated it. But six years later at Bromley Little Theatre it was a lot of fun. Usually comedies are funnier if you play them straight, but this one seems the other way round. Played straight, it's just an old-fashioned jolly-hockey-sticks story, where the lower-class girl proves herself, only to be revealed as a toff after all, validating the class prejudice of her erstwhile tormentors. Only by sending the whole thing up is the class order subverted. Maybe I'm still a socialist after all.

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play just made me laugh a lot, especially all of the ridiculously over the top language. Loved it.

[Caitlin Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boo!! Who even cares.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd play for my school to have us perform, I guess I did go to an all-girl school which played a lot of hockey, so it was fitting for us. At the time of reading I found this play very boring, I got to play a character named Belinda, who was very much a background character. A boarding school for girls, where we follow along Daisy, who is the new girl at the school, she makes enemies, who frame her for cheating on a test and she makes friends who sneak around the school at night with her. The story is about the growth of the students, learning to cope through difficult times and maturing. In the end we see the girls come together to fight in a hockey match. Learning that they aren't so different from each other after all.

[Jen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will love this play forever. During my junior year of high school I got to play Clare Beaumont, Head Girl and sports captain of Grangewood School. She was awesome and admirable and spunky and played field hockey and said all these adorable British phrases. The whole play is hilarious. This was the play I was performing in when I came to the realization I was going to pursue an acting career, and I came to this realization onstage in the middle of one of my scenes. I remember exactly where I was standing when the epiphany hit. It was an evening I will never forget and a role I cherish in my heart. Thank you, Denise Deegan!

[Duckfacekim09 (Kim Howell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I might be slightly biased but Sybil Burlington is by far the best character... 👌

This script was just a really fun read of a great comedy play which I can't wait to perform. I love that this play breaks the fourth wall and explains why it does that; it adds a great touch to every character. And so many of the characters are so varied!

I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this play; it's thoroughly entertaining. I love the use of the old fashioned language too.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play reminds me of all the books I read as a child that are set in boarding schools. I always dreamed of being one of those girls in the stories and this play brings this to life. Not particularly challenging but would work well on the stage.