Mark Ludmon continues his round-up of some of the playscripts of shows that were cut short or postponed because of the theatre shutdown.
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New Welsh musical comedy Milky Peaks, written and composed by Seiriol Davies, was set to burst onto the stage at Theatr Clwyd in Mold in April before embarking on tour. Set in a small town in the heart of Snowdonia, it follows a community faced with the rise of the far-right. The show will inevitably come to the stage after the shutdown but, for now, you can at least enjoy the words, albeit without the music. (Oberon Books)
Hannah Khalil’s epic new play, A Museum in Baghdad, received its world premiere at the RSC’s The Other Place in 2019 but its transfer to Kiln Theatre in London could not go ahead. Tackling the role of heritage and culture, it tells the intertwining stories of British archaeologist Gertrude Bell who founded a museum in Baghdad in 1926 and another woman’s efforts to reopen the museum in 2006 after looting during the war. Directed by Erica Whyman, it starred Emma Fielding and Rendah Heywood. (Methuen Drama)
Stef Smith reworked Ibsen’s classic play A Doll’s House into an acclaimed new work, Nora: A Doll’s House, which ran from 5 February at London’s Young Vic but didn’t make it to last night on 21 March. A co-production with Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, the drama is reframed in three different time periods: the fight for women’s suffrage, the Swinging Sixties and the modern day. (Nick Hern Books)
Jonathan Harvey’s hilariously twisted comic drama, Our Lady of Blundellsands, garnered some excellent reviews after it opened at Liverpool’s Everyman theatre in March but the run was cut short. It is a dysfunctional family drama where skeletons come tumbling out at a family get-together after sisters Sylvie and Garnet emerge from their isolated world of fantasy. Directed by Nick Bagnall, it starred Josie Lawrence, Annette Badland and Tony Maudsley. (Methuen Drama)
Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over opened at London’s Kiln Theatre in February but had to be halted before its run ended on 4 April. An epic mash-up of Waiting for Godot, Exodus and stories ripped from the daily headlines, this fierce and politically charged play exposes the experiences of young black men in a world that refuses to see them. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, it starred Paapa Essiedu, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr and Alexander Elliot. (Faber)
Winsome Pinnock’s eagerly awaited new play, Rockets and Blue Lights, was to run at Manchester’s Royal Exchange from 13 March to 4 April but never made it to press night. It retells British history through the prism of the slave trade, switching between Victorian England and the 21st century. It was directed by Miranda Cromwell with a cast led by Kiza Deen, Karl Collins and Paul Bradley. Click here for the trailer (pictured). (Nick Hern Books)
After its debut at Sheffield Crucible Studio in February, Chloë Moss’s new play Run Sister Run was stopped in its tracks, unable to go ahead with its transfer to London’s Soho Theatre. Spanning four decades, it explores the bond between two sisters. It was directed by Charlotte Bennett, joint artistic director of Paines Plough, and featured Lucy Ellinson, Helena Lymbery, Lucas Button and Silas Carson. (Nick Hern Books)
Mel Pennant’s new play Seeds tells the story of two mothers united in sorrow, unable to escape the tragedy and violence of knife crime. Directed by Anastasia Osei-Kuffour and starring Penny Layden and Judith Jacob, it premiered at Leeds Playhouse in February before going on tour but was stopped before it reached venues including London’s Soho Theatre. (Nick Hern Books)
Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya opened to great acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London in January, due to run to 2 May, directed by Ian Rickson with a superb cast including Toby Jones and Richard Armitage. Still set in late 19th-century Russia, this version gives it a startling modernity, bringing out the dark humour and passionate feelings within the classic play. (Nick Hern Books)
Lesley Manville was phenomenal in the National Theatre’s premiere of Tony Kushner’s adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit, or The Old Lady Comes To Call. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, it was due to run to 13 May. Relocated to the small New York town of Slurry, the play sees an obscenely rich woman returns to her home town to use her power to exact revenge. (Nick Hern Books)
Due to run at the National Theatre to 23 May, Lucy Kirkwood’s latest play The Welkin is a powerful story of a woman in 18th-century Suffolk facing a jury of 12 matrons over the charge of murder. It opened in January directed by James Macdonald and featuring Maxine Peake and Ria Zmitrowicz and was fortunately filmed in time for National Theatre Live. (Nick Hern Books)
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