Theatre Review: ‘Plain Jane’ at the Royal Exchange Theatre
Article published: Thursday, November 4th 2010
‘I want to break her’ are the words uttered by the imperious Becki, in a work that explores teenage female bullying set against the background of divisions wrought by social class. Mohsin Iqbal reviews for MULE.
‘Plain Jane’ is set at a girl’s boarding school and recounts the story of Jane, a girl who struggles to fit into the perceived idea of how her peers expect her to behave and think. Irreparable consequences are to be had when she gives in.
The studio of the Royal Exchange is transformed into a girl’s dorm and littered with all the pink and visually vibrant paraphernalia of a stereotypical teenage girl’s bedroom: clothes are scattered unceremoniously over the floor while brightly coloured posters and Robert Pattinson leave no part of the wall untouched, bar the mirror. Sarah Winter is the titular character Jane, who we are introduced to at the start. She has all the hallmarks of a person untouched by peer pressure: bookish and perpetually happy, Jane is talkative but continually eager to please her new school friends. Becki is one of the girls with whom Jane shares a bedroom. Elisabeth Hopper assumes the role of Becki with consummate ease and is revealed to be the antagonist of ‘Plain Jane’ early on, while in the role of her minion and fellow tormentor Holly is Caitlin Joseph.
The plot of the play advances quickly, with Becki seemingly keen to harass Jane for every conceivable difference between the two. A psychopath who feeds on controlling others and views bullying as a sport to be indulged in, Becki’s torturous interrogations bring the more latent aspects of bullying to the fore.
Alistair McDowall excellently juxtaposes the differences of social class in a boarding school setting through the characters; Jane, who is there on a scholarship lacks the finances to pay the tuition fees while Becki is contemptuous of anyone not born into wealth. With witty and staccato dialogue, the play has elements of hilarity dispersed throughout, mainly in the form of Holly who compares Jane to a ‘listed building, because you can’t get rid of her’. However parts of the play are so severe in Becki’s manipulation of Jane that it makes ‘Plain Jane’ uncomfortable viewing, even in the face of Lisa’s attempts at shielding her new roommate. 
The beguiling actions of Becki lead to the entrance of Roger, a dim thirty-year-old with delusions of success and of skewed morality, who has been set-up on a date with Jane. Played by Paul Sockett, Roger shows the extent of which manipulation and persecution can reach. It is here that Sarah Winter excels as Jane, brilliant in her shaky poise and comportment as a vulnerable fifteen-year-old and desperate to fit in with her new friends. As the ending takes its course, a question will inevitable hang over what happens between Jane and Roger, with the answer left to the intuition of the audience.
Without question a dark comedy, Cheap Seats and director Clive Judd have done a fine job of bringing Alistair McDowall’s play to the stage. The performance is deserving of applause. And easy to watch while peppered with subtle undertones of social social, ‘Plain Jane’ is a sophisticated play that is excellently written and performed.
Mohsin Iqbal
Plain Jane was running at the Royal Exchange theatre in October. For more information and tickets, go to: http://www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk/page.aspx
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