Leaves of Glass

Description

On the surface, Steven has everything. A beautiful wife, a successful business, a brand new home. But beneath the glittering veneer lies a monstrous secret . . . 'You believe him cos he wraps all the painful stuff in feathers and flowers. Makes it all safe and cosy. You can't feel the broken glass inside.' Leaves of Glass is a rich, complex play about two brothers and the hold that the past and memory has on them. Haunted by the death of his father and a car accident involving a young child, Steve finds his life unraveling and his pregnant wife unable to comprehend his pain and sense of loss. Known for his dark disturbing dramas, Ridley's latest play is a deeply human drama that shifts between elegy for the past and a chilling exploration of the power of loss and grief.

Philip Ridley was born in the East End of London where he still lives and works. As well as three books for adults - and the highly acclaimed screenplay for the The Krays feature film - he has written five other adult stage plays: The Pitchfork Disney, the multi-award-winning The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Ghost from a Perfect Place, Vincent River, and the highly controversial Mercury Fur, plus a further five plays for young people; Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece, Sparkleshark and Brokenville.

Ridley is a visionary * Rolling Stone Magazine * Ridley is a singular writer, a prolific polymath, probably a genius, and the creator of some of the most peculiar, grotesque and compelling British plays (and films) of the last several years * Time Out * A two-hour story, that has a grey, banal surface, but which is like a shard of glass plunged straight into the heart. * The Guardian * I rely on Philip Ridley to leave me shaken and shocked. His considerable imagination reaches places I prefer not to visit, unless escorted by a writer of his moral seriousness. * Evening Standard * Ridley's play is not easy to watch, but it is constantly riveting. * The Stage *