Description
"You see, what this country needs is a strong government to sort out the laws, bring order" Election night 1979: the sus laws made it legal for police to stop and search anyone - purely on suspicion. Two detectives on the graveyard shift in an East London police station place bets on which party will win. A black man is picked up, accused of his wife's murder. He is incensed, believing that he'll be fodder for an incoming government keen to flex its law-and-order muscles. A powerful, politicised cry against the still-current threat of institutional racism, Keeffe uncompromisingly depicts a corrupt world which looks all too familiar today. Set on the eve of the Thatcher victory, this new edition of Keeffe's classic, harrowing play coincides with the general election of 2010, and asks what's changed. Sus is a shocking and disturbing drama which protests against the rise of the right-wing, the infringement of civil liberties and the casual humiliation which the police inflict on their prisoners. Exploring the abuse of power and racism, Sus is a resonant, socially charged and powerful play, as relevant today as it was in 1979.
Publication coincides with a major new revival by the Young Vic 8th-26th June, Prior to the London opening, Sus will tour to Lincoln, Liverpool, Barking, Bracknell, Birmingham and Ipswich. Sus is a classic political play which was written in 1979 but is still relevant today. Includes a new introduction by the author.
About the Author
Barrie Keeffe is a well-known English dramatist and writer, whose theatre plays include Only a Game, Gotcha, Abide with Me, My Girl, Bastard Angel, Sus, Frozen Assets, A Mad World My Masters, She's so Modern, Better Times, Not Fade Away, King of England, Wild Justice and two trilogies: Gimme Shelter and Barbarians. He has also been resident writer at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Shaw Theatre and the Soho Poly Theatre and Associate Writer at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Reviews
As unmerited punishment go, Barrie Keefe's 1979 chamber play, Sus, is hair raising. This is a horrifying portrait of injustice and racism. Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday, 30.5.10 In 2010, this should seem more of a period piece than it is. Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard, 11.6.10 ...the passing of time has done little to diminish the relevance of the piece. Aleks Sierz, Tribune, 18.6.10 'What really makes Sus speak over its period trappings is its understanding of that power corrupts.' Dominic Maxwell, The Times, 15.06.10
Book Information
ISBN 9781408131374
Author Barrie Keeffe
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Methuen Drama
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 4mm
Publication coincides with a major new revival by the Young Vic 8th-26th June, Prior to the London opening, Sus will tour to Lincoln, Liverpool, Barking, Bracknell, Birmingham and Ipswich. Sus is a classic political play which was written in 1979 but is still relevant today. Includes a new introduction by the author.
About the Author
Barrie Keeffe is a well-known English dramatist and writer, whose theatre plays include Only a Game, Gotcha, Abide with Me, My Girl, Bastard Angel, Sus, Frozen Assets, A Mad World My Masters, She's so Modern, Better Times, Not Fade Away, King of England, Wild Justice and two trilogies: Gimme Shelter and Barbarians. He has also been resident writer at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Shaw Theatre and the Soho Poly Theatre and Associate Writer at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Reviews
As unmerited punishment go, Barrie Keefe's 1979 chamber play, Sus, is hair raising. This is a horrifying portrait of injustice and racism. Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday, 30.5.10 In 2010, this should seem more of a period piece than it is. Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard, 11.6.10 ...the passing of time has done little to diminish the relevance of the piece. Aleks Sierz, Tribune, 18.6.10 'What really makes Sus speak over its period trappings is its understanding of that power corrupts.' Dominic Maxwell, The Times, 15.06.10
Book Information
ISBN 9781408131374
Author Barrie Keeffe
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Methuen Drama
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 4mm
