Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour

by Lee Hall

Listen, girls, if we stick together there's no ways we'll even get to the second round...Young, lost and out of control, a bunch of Catholic schoolgirls go wild for a day in the big city, the singing competition a mere obstacle in the way of sex, sambuca and a night back home with the submarine crew in Mantrap.Funny, sad and raucously rude, Lee Hall's musical play Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, adapted from Alan Warner's novel The Sopranos, premiered at the Traverse Theatre in August 2015, in a production by the National Theatre of Scotland and Live Theatre.Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy 2017.

Genres: Plays, Drama

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2015

About the author

Lee Hall is an English playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the 2000 film Billy Elliot.

Hall was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, in 1966, the son of a house painter and decorator and a housewife. He was educated at Benfield School in Walkergate. As a youth he went to Wallsend Young People's Theatre along with Deka Walmsley and Trevor Fox who later appeared in both Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters. He went to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he studied English literature and was taught by the poet Paul Muldoon.[1] After leaving Cambridge, he worked as a youth theatre fundraiser in Newcastle and at the Gate Theatre in London. In 1997, his playwriting career was launched with the broadcast of his radio play, Spoonface Steinberg, on BBC Radio 4.[2]

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a 20 year old Scottish woman (was 19 when I read this) and none of this really spoke to anything me and my friends ever experienced. Sure, people have different experiences, and I am certain that at least one person will say this is how they acted at 16, but I think 16 year old girls are more sensible than that, or at least more careful. It might have to do with the girls in the play being Catholic and not having sufficient time to express themselves or sufficient sex education, but idk. I'm just saying that, personally, as someone who has fairly recently fit into the demographic of the characters in the play, it didn't speak to me and I think that's a problem. (Also, I will add, that we need to stop sexualising 16 year olds.)

It's not badly written, it is quite funny, but it's just being provocative for the sake of being provocative, it didn't always seem sincere. It also is written by an older English man, and it sells the idea that sex is something you have to do before you die or you're a failure or something, which just isn't true, there's much better things to aspire to. There is also a somewhat graphic description of sexual assault which is played for laughs. I think I might be being generous in my rating because I don't think there are enough depictions of Scottish teenage girls out there, the closest things that I've seen recently are Derry Girls (which is Irish, not Scottish) and Aftersun (in which the young girl isn't even a teenager). It's well paced and doesn't overstay it's welcome, at least.

Also this is a personal thing, but we did a table read of this in my class full of Scottish people and one English man, and the English man did the most borderline offensive fake Scottish accent I've ever heard and I think everyone in the class was dying inside.

[Bookthesp1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction states thats its more like a gig than a play and there is something in that. Theatrically not much happens though I know its been a big hit as a live show and I am sure I would be giving a real living, breathing production more than 3 stars-not least for the musical numbers that can only be suggested in the text-mostly ELO apparently. On the page however it comes across as a mix of John Godber and Mary O'Malley with a touch of Essex Girls by Rebecca Prichard but it doesn't quite gell and I got bored with the endless crude dialogue. Some good lines and genuine wit-the school is a "Virgin Mega Store" but the conceit of having the girls play all the characters is so John Godber that you might as well read a John Godber. Strangely, I have owned the source novel for many years without ever reading it and perhaps doing that will help me admire the skill of Lee hall who has nothing to prove as a playwright. Occasional moments of poignancy and realism were overwhelmed by Godberesque/Bouncersesque crudity- throwing up/ swearing and general shenanigans. Maybe a female reader would see much more than me and I will return to this again at some point and maybe give it another chance to shine.

[Livinginthecastle · Rating 3 out of 5]

West End production - August 2017: Interesting play though not sure what era it was supposed to be set in and I wasn't sure any of those teenagers would really be into the music they were singing. I can see the hand of an author from a certain era, but like The History Boys where there's no way those 80's grammar school boys would be into Vera Lynn(?), it seemed a little incongruous. I may have to read the play and/or the novel as some of it got lost in
the constant screaming delivery and strong accent, better in the softer moments.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complete riot of a play - Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is filled with heart, outrageous humour, honesty and adolescent frustrations. Granted I never went to a Catholic school, but the play captures the intimacy, brutality and fire of an all girl’s school dynamic brilliantly. Perfect way to start the weekend by reading this fantastic play!

[mellyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this play. I really enjoy anything set in Scotland to be honest, especially something that features so much use of true Scottish patter. Each character was developed really well in my opinion and all six of the girls had their own defining personalities and I enjoyed reading every single one of them.

[Laurine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed both watching the show and reading the play afterwards. Compared to the novel, its is taking shortcuts but it manages to fit all the characters and their essence in an 1h30 long show which is really impressive.
They're young, and strong and lost and i love them for that.

[Abbie Caskie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this play. Gutted I missed it a couple of years ago.

[Caitlin Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another bucket list play

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent play - thought it was funny and moving. Would love to see live.

[Ian McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A riot.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wonderful play both in text and in performance!