You’re So Special at Soho Theatre Review
Image: Alex Brenner
Leotard-clad dreams are reckless, but inevitable, when one is clearly destined for greatness.
Julia Grogan’s brilliant dark comedy You’re so Special tells the story of Miss June, a baby ballet teacher in Methodist church hall, who longs for stardom. When her elusive big break finally comes, she gingerly proceeds to burn bridges with mates, acquaintances, and fellow church hall regulars from the All Addictions group. She quits her job and is off to shoot a hit TV show. Or so she thinks.
A breezy ‘we’ve gone in a different direction’ brings June’s delusions crashing down. Some grovelling later, and she’s back on tippy toes with her pre-school corps de ballet. And in the spirit of ‘rejection is redirection’, a new opportunity presents itself. One of the kids’ parents is a Netflix hot shot, so Miss June sees the end of term sharing as a de facto audition and appoints herself soloist in chief. What could possibly go wrong?
Written and performed by Julia Grogan, You’re so Special is a sharp, timely observation on our obsession with fame and visibility at all costs, and on the clash between childhood dreams and adult realities.
The writing is punchy, effortlessly swinging between laugh out loud lines and disturbingly dark moments, and Grogan’s performance, directed by Rachel Lemon, is outstanding.
She is outrageous from the get-go (no spoilers here!) and manages to create a character that is at once insufferable and endearing. We can all relate, to an extent, to Miss June’s wish for better in a disappointing world and to her fear of ‘just disappearing’ in the absence of fame and fortune. She is deluded, but also gritty bordering on the manic, and will do anything not to let her dream die. Mostly, she is lonely, and there does not seem to be anyone in her corner. Not her mates, not her former teacher, the one who once told her she was special and is now a disgruntled employer.
Refraining from multi-roleing, and relying instead on wonderful miming and physicality, Grogan creates a rich and relatable world of diverse characters through her reactions to them. We imagine the upwardly mobile middle-class parents feeding their Talulahs and Hugos organic hummus and delusions. We smile at the chaotic toddlers who may be at baby ballet against their will. We get June’s disdain at the pedestrian life around her, but also the contentment that it brings those who chose it. Mostly, though, we cannot help but root for June, because whilst she alienates everyone around her, she is also one obstinate dreamer who refuses to concede to the ordinary.
We are treated to some great singing, and, of course to some dancing that is brilliant for all the wrong reasons. Miss June’s solo rivals Ricky Gervais’ iconic breakdance in The Office. Cringey and painfully drawn out, it will be especially delightful to anyone who’s battled a grand plié or two in a church hall.
Accompanying her moves are the notes Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen, one of the many highly effective sound choices by George Dennis. The soundscape brings tinny piano tracks that immediately cue amateur ballet, and more distorted tones that punctuate Miss June’s increasingly dysfunctional inner world. Anisha Field’s highly inventive set adds to the wonderful interplay of shadow and light.
You’re So Special is petty and huge, local and universal. We are all Miss June. Were we sold a lie, growing up? And how far will we go, to claim what we thought were ours?
Shows like this can hopefully prompt conversations on this, and see that the question is not whether we are special, but, to paraphrase Ken Robinson, how each one of us is. In the meantime, there is Julia Grogan.
You’re So Special plays at Soho Theatre until 26th September.
★★★★★
Written by Chiara for Theatre and Tonic, September 2026.
