Rita, Sue and Bob Too

(Paperback)

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Description

A bleak and brilliant testament to a life of fleeting pleasure and diminished expectations a play of sharp observation, a document of its times. The Guardian Best friends Rita and Sue get a lift home from married Bob after babysitting his kids. When he takes the scenic route and offers them a bit of fun, the three start a fling each of them think they control. Andrea Dunbar's semi-autobiographical play, written for the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 when she was just 19, is a vivid portrait of girls caught between brutal childhood and an unpromising future, both hungry for adult adventure. Told with wicked humour, startling insight and a great ear for dialogue, Rita Sue and Bob Too offers an unwavering portrait of a world of limitations and urban desolation. Published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Katie Beswick.

Reviews

Dunbar's play is as fresh as a stiff northerly wind off the Pennines. The story is bursting with a gutsy vitality * Evening Standard *
If you've ever known a junkie or an alkie, or felt for a second that your own life might spiral out of control, you'll recognise the mix of despair and black humour as the real thing. By the end of it, you just might feel like crying. * Guardian *
A brilliant, scabrous comedy * Daily Mail *
The voice of writer Andrea Dunbar showcased reality using sharp humour and an even sharper social commentary. * The Mancunion *

Author Bio

Andrea Dunbar was a British playwright. Her first play was The Arbor (1977), a brilliant depiction of an abusive father and daughter relationship. The play premiered at the Royal Court, directed by Max Stafford-Clark, winning the Young Writers' Festival. Her most well-known piece for theatre is Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1982), which was set in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and was a study of the sexual adventures of teenage girls. This was adapted for a film in 1986. Her third play, Shirley was produced in 1986. She died of a brain haemorrhage in 1990, at the age of 29.