Miss Brodie, the school mistress at the Edinburgh Marcia Blaine School, steers clear of the traditional curriculum under Miss McKay’s rule and uses her foreign visits to educate her girls. Displaying the picture of Giotto as opposed to Mackay’s preferred Stanley Baldwin, Brodie’s lessons, which comprise of the retelling of her passions for art, politics and her love affairs, delve into the fantasies and ideals that Brodie so often dictates.
The Morningside punters wait patiently outside the apt venue of the ‘Assembly Hall’, which ironically is where ministerial candidates for the Church of Scotland study! Not likely to be Brodie’s place of choice. The auditorium is near-full and the basic set (a table and a painted classroom backdrop) adequately depicts the 1930s Marcia Blaine School for Girls. As the lights dim, the ‘Italian scene’, of which Brodie is a huge fan, is instantly made present through the use of music and a cleverly projected ballerina figure onto the front tabs. A magical way to start, what goes on to be, a very successful performance.
Francolini plays Brodie with real gusto, floating about the stage with flair and finesse. Her gestures, stance and delivery are remarkable in equal measure, whilst her rapid dialogue flows freely with perfectly refined intonation. Her Morningside accent, which is somewhat of an iconic feature of this role, lacks absolute authenticity with very slight inconsistencies now and then. Despite this, Francolini commands the stage with fierce and fiery presence, complimented by an array of colourfully chic costumes.
The simple yet effective set design incorporates pieces of funiture, such as Miss Mackay’s desk, doubling as Mr. Llodd’s painting easel. The table is cleverly turned on its end and simply dressed to execute any long-winded and unnecessary scene changes. These brief moments of time or set change are pleasantly peppered with non-diagetic 1930s music and wireless broadcasts, which wonderfully encapsulate the mood and atmosphere of the period.
The ever-energetic and hugely entertaining Monica, played by Nicola Jo Cully, sustains an excellent performance throughout, strongly accompanied by the others in the Brodie set: Jenny (Amy Lennox), Sandy (Natalie McConnon and Mary (Anneika Rose) – even if Mary’s stutter is dubiously forced!
For all Muriel Spark, Jay Presson Allan and, indeed, Maggie Smith lovers – this is indeed the ‘creme de la creme’.
5/5 
Craig Serrels
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