Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour – Theatre Royal Brighton and Touring

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at the Theatre Royal, Brighton and Touring. Picture: Manuel Harlan

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at the Theatre Royal, Brighton and Touring (including a run at the National Theatre from 8 August to 1 October).

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Musical theatre has been shamefully ignored by the Brighton Festival in past years. At last this ‘Cinderella of the Arts World’ gets a look in with a co-production from the National Theatre of Scotland and Live Theatre. Albeit it takes the form of a musical play as opposed to that of a traditional musical. There is no original score or lyrics. Instead a mixture of classical oratorios and numbers from ELO’s songbook, penned by Jeff Lynne, is used. These songs punctuate and reflect the storytelling.

Based on Alan Warner’s book The Sopranos and adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Lee Hall (Billy Elliot, The Pitmen Painters), it tells of a day in the lives of six young girls from a convent school. They are taken to a big city to appear in a choir competition that evening. In the meantime they are let loose and how! What follows is a riot of drunkenness, sex and mischievous misbehaviour.

Let’s be clear from the outset: this show is rude, crude, fast, furious and filthy and above all it is wickedly hilarious. It bars no holds with its language nor in its sexual references as these young girls, on the cusp of adulthood and displaying a mixture of cynicism and innocence, run amok.

Each girl in turn acts narrator to set the ensuing scene. They also play all the other parts, including the aggressive, predatory men they encounter. And what a cast director Vicky Featherstone is blessed with. Their acting and singing talent, along with their energy, is breathtaking.

They first appear singing Mendelssohn’s ‘Lift Thine Eyes’ – a choir of angels who, as the last note dies, transform into little demons. Their switch from sweet soprano to the belting energy of rock songs is seamless and raises hairs on the back of the neck.

Amidst the crude humour there are moments of tenderness when the girls shed their bravado shells and reveal their insecurity and vulnerability. At times the script allows them to combine both and this is seen at its best when Melissa Allan, as cancer suffer Orla, describes a sexual encounter with a dying patient in a hospital ward. We laugh guiltily, despite the tragic circumstances. Our consciences are eased when Allan sings a cappella ‘For You’.

There are equally fine performances from the rest of the cast. Karen Fishwick’s posh girl Kay is finely nuanced – gradually revealing that she is a sister under the skin to the rest of them. Caroline Deyga’s Chell gets to strut her stuff with ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’.

Frances Mayli McCann’s feisty Kylah, a singer with a local band, delivers her numbers with powerful aggression which contrasts with Kirsty MacLaren’s much mocked Manda. Amongst MacLaren’s other roles, she brings a sweet sensitivity to the part of the boy with a budgie.

Completing this mega-talented cast is Dawn Sievewright who has great stage presence. Her performance as Fionnula is spellbinding as her brashness gives way to a touching softness with her scenes with Kay as they both realise and express their sexuality.

This is an all-girl show with the cast being backed by an all-female band. Choreographer Imogen Knight has kept her work minimalist, thereby not detracting from the storytelling.

Barrie Jerram