REVIEW: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour "there isn’t another show in the West End like it"
Posted on
| By
Lucy Beirne
Fresh from it’s 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour smashes into the Duke of York's Theatre for a strictly limited run.
These fierce ladies are a force to be reckoned with. The cast is made up of six, vocally superb actresses: Caroline Deyga, Kirsty Maclaren, Karen Fishwick, Isis Hainsworth, Dawn Sievewright and Frances Mayli MCcann, who out shock, sass, and sing each other continually in the 90-minute play.
Directed by Vicky Featherstone, Our Ladies follows six unruly Catholic school girls from Oban as they test the boundaries of rebellion when let loose in Edinburgh for the day. The story is bursting with toe curling humour as the girls bounce off each other. Each scene as raucous as the one that follows and if you love dangerous humour, then this is the show for you.
The only thing that trumps the chemistry between the girls when they act, it is the chemistry that sparks when they belt alongside one another. Each cast member is a powerhouse of vocal talent, and the score (arranged by Martin Lowe) matches the tone of the show perfectly. The cast are accompanied by a fiery four-piece band who rock out in harmony to the girls’ rebellion.
Adapted by Lee Hall from Alan Warner’s ‘The Sopranos’, Our Ladies is a disgustingly brilliant celebration of teenage rebellion – but it is not for the faint-hearted, parts of the show are gloriously filthy and certain scenes are nothing short of appalling. The stand out performance must go to Isis Hainsworth – whose performance of Orla was as endearing as it was heartbreaking.
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is a furious burst of female energy and there isn’t another show in the West End like it. The energy of the company carries from the second it begins and you will have to pick your jaw up from the floor in the final curtain, as you’ll be straight on your feet begging for more.