Ridley Plays: 2 : Vincent River ; Mercury Fur ; Leaves of Glass ; Piranha Heights

This second volume of Ridley's stage plays confirms him as one of the most imaginative, daring and unique voices currently working in theatre. All four plays collected here resonant with Ridley's trademark themes - East London, storytelling, moments of shocking violence, memories of the past, fantastical monologues, and that strange mix of the barbaric and the beautiful he has made all his own. Vincent River: '... a grieving mother and a traumatized teenager meet as adversaries, rough each other up and eventually bond over a barbaric act of cruelty...Ridley asks questions, lots of them, about how people respond to the loss of innocence in their lives, how they hold onto their sanity in the face of savagery and how they fight to keep the bonds of humanity intact in a mad, mad world.' Variety Mercury Fur: '...depicts a scary, post-apocalyptic London where, in their struggle to survive, a group of youths are reduced to organising parties that cater for the most perverted tastes.' Independent Leaves of Glass: 'There is a different kind of murder going on here: the murder of truth that goes on in all families to a lesser or greater degree. As with nations, a family's history is written by the victors.' Guardian Piranha Heights: 'The extravagance of Ridley's dark vision suggests a dangerously confused society in which individuals seize on random gobbets of semi-digested information and use them to construct their own personal narrative.' The Times Volume 1 contains Ridley's first three plays, which heralded the arrival of a unique and disturbing voice in the world of contemporary drama. This edition also contains 3 early monologues, in print for the first time. Volume 2 brings together his recent major works that form his apocalyptic distopian trilogy. In the near future in a society ravaged by a violent, reckless generation all three plays combine Ridley's trademark mix of story-telling, memories of the past, cruel farce and vicious morality. Mercury Fur (2005) asks how far we are willing to go to protect those that we love in a society where humanity has become debased and survival depends on the choices we are willing to make. Leaves of Grass (2007) is a deeply human drama that shifts between elegy for the past and a chilling exploration of the power of loss and grief. It was described by one critic as ' a brilliantly written, imaginative and genuinely chilling account of evil in everyday life... a must-see.' Piranha Heights (2008) brings the storm of change brought about by a new world order in a domestic setting Philip Ridley has been described as 'the creater of some of the most peculiar, grotesque and compelling British plays (and films) of the last several years'. This second volume of plays brings together his recent major works that form his apocalyptic distopian trilogy. In the near future in a society ravaged by a violent, reckless generation all three plays combine Ridley's trademark mix of story-telling, memories of the past, cruel farce and vicious morality. Mercury Fur (2005) asks how far we are willing to go to protect those that we love in a society where humanity has become debased and survival depends on the choices we are willing to make. Leaves of Grass (2007) is a deeply human drama that shifts between elegy for the past and a chilling exploration of the power of loss and grief. It was described by one critic as ' a brilliantly written, imaginative and genuinely chilling account of evil in everyday life... a must-see.' Piranha Heights (2008) brings the storm of change brought about by a new world order in a domestic setting After her son, Vincent, is murdered in a homophobic attack, Anita must come to terms with her loss, and the hidden fact of his sexuality, an aspect of his identity that she had refused to countenance while he was alive. This grief and acceptance is complicated by the arrival of Davey, a battered and bruised seventeen-year-old boy, who confesses to Anita that he cannot escape Vincent's ghost. Anita believes that Davey has come to admit to the murder, but it is a deeper crime, a crime of omission, that is haunting her son's lover. 'Vincent River' was first performed at the Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2000 This second volume of Ridley's stage plays confirms him as one of the most imaginative, daring and unique voices currently working in theatre. All four plays collected here resonant with Ridley's trademark themes - East London, storytelling, moments of shocking violence, memories of the past, fantastical monologues, and that strange mix of the barbaric and the beautiful he has made all his own. Vincent River: ' ... a grieving mother and a traumatized teenager meet as adversaries, rough each other up and eventually bond over a barbaric act of cruelty ... Ridley asks questions, lots of them, about This collections of plays contains: "The Pitchfork Disney", which was premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 1991; "The Fastest Clock in the Universe", premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 1992; and "Ghost from a Perfect Place", which premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 1994. 1. Pitchfork Disney -- Fastest clock in the universe -- Ghost from a perfect place 2. Vincent river -- Mercury fur -- Leaves of glass -- Piranha heights. 1. The Pitchfork Disney -- The Fastest Clock In The Universe -- Ghost From A Perfect Place Philip Ridley ; With An Introduction By The Author. The first of two volumes presenting work by the French playwright, Michel Vinaver.