{"product_id":"9781472587985","title":"Contemporary English Plays : Eden’s Empire; Alaska; Shades; A Day at the Racists; The Westbridge","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eContemporary English Plays\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): James Graham, DC Moore, Anders Lustgarten, Alia Bano, Rachel De-lahay\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdited and introduced by leading cultural and theatre critic Aleks Sierz, this bold and urgent collection of contemporary plays by England's newest and most relevant young writers explores the various cultures and identities of a nation that is at once traditional, nationalistic and multicultural. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eEden's Empire\u003c\/b\u003e, by James Graham is an uncompromising political thriller exploring the events of the Suez Crisis, and the tragic story of its flawed hero – Churchill's golden boy and heir apparent, Anthony Eden.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAlaska\u003c\/b\u003e, by D. C. Moore features Frank, an ordinary bloke who likes smoking, history and playing House of the Dead 3. He can put up with his job on a cinema kiosk until a new supervisor arrives who is younger than him. And Asian. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eA Day at the Racists\u003c\/b\u003e, by Anders Lustgarten is a timely examination of the rise of the BNP which attempts to understand why people might be drawn to the BNP and diagnoses the deeper cause of that attraction.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Shades\u003c\/b\u003e, by Alia Bano shows Sabrina, a single girl-about-town, who is seeking Mr Right in a world where traditional and liberal values sit side-by-side, but rarely see eye-to-eye. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Westbridge\u003c\/b\u003e, by Rachel De-lahay begins with the accusation of a black teenager which sparks riots on South London streets. Among it all, a couple from very different backgrounds navigate the minefield between them and their disparate but coexisting neighbourhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Graham's play is both a dramatic piece of living history and a timely  demonstration of the danger of allowing foreign policy to be dictated by  a prime minister who flagrantly flouts international law. ” —\u003ci\u003eMichael Billington, Guardian, on Eden's Empire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The measure of DC Moore's quality as a writer is his ability to garner  sympathy for this immensely dislikeable university drop-out.” —\u003ci\u003eThe British Theatre Guide on Alaska\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Boasting the digestibility of a rom-com and the roughage of an issues  drama, Alia Bano's tale of London Muslims looking for love is a superb  start to the Royal Court's Young Writers Festival ... Like most good  rom-com folk, Bano's characters are smart, headstrong, witty and  self-aware. That they happen to be both united and divided by their  background gives Bano her story ... The play's great achievement is to be  engagingly irreverent while knowing that irreverence can be an  orthodoxy too ... Reza ... says he resents being asked to choose  between Britishness and being a Muslim. Such sentiments have been  expressed before, but rarely with the propulsive plotting, inspiring  intelligence and light touch of this hugely enjoyable play.” —Dominic Maxwell, The Times on Shades\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“must-see for anyone concerned about the threat of extreme nationalism and curious to explore the context behind that threat.” —\u003ci\u003ewhatsonstage.com on A Day at the Racists\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This thrilling debut play by Rachel De-lahay  plugs straight into the  jittery heart of multicultural London today ... De-lahay has an alert  ear for comic dialogue and her portrait of mixed-race, upwardly mobile  twentysomethings on the estate – one character works in PR, another is  an aspiring model – crackles with wit as well as moments of deep  emotion. The play raises the provocative question of whether it is  possible to shrug off the fraught issue of racial identity ... It's a  play that combines sharp one-liners with a savvy sense of the way we  live now ... One leaves the theatre impatient to discover what Rachel  De-lahay will come up with next.” —\u003ci\u003eTelegraph, on The Westbridge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The play expresses, more succinctly than journalism, the moral mess surrounding citizenship and criminal law.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Times on Routes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Boasting the digestibility of a rom-com and the roughage of an issues  drama, Alia Bano's tale of London Muslims looking for love is a superb  start to the Royal Court's Young Writers Festival ... Like most good  rom-com folk, Bano's characters are smart, headstrong, witty and  self-aware. That they happen to be both united and divided by their  background gives Bano her story ... The play's great achievement is to be  engagingly irreverent while knowing that irreverence can be an  orthodoxy too ... Reza ... says he resents being asked to choose  between Britishness and being a Muslim. Such sentiments have been  expressed before, but rarely with the propulsive plotting, inspiring  intelligence and light touch of this hugely enjoyable play” —\u003ci\u003eDominic Maxwell, The Times on Shades\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781472587985\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Methuen Drama","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40595488768206,"sku":"9781472587985","price":25.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_40b34dcc-396e-42bf-8f39-d1231b1fc627.jpg?v=1637833244","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781472587985","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}