Ridley Plays 1: The Pitchfork Disney; The Fastest Clock in the Universe; Ghost from a Perfect Place

Description

This volume contains Ridley's first three plays, which heralded the arrival of a unique and disturbing voice in the world of contemporary drama. They are seminal works in the development of the 'in yer face' theatre that emerged in Britain during the mid-1990s.The three plays here all manifest Ridley's vivid and visionary imagination and the dark beauty of his outlook. They resonate with his 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. Pitchfork Disney was Ridley's first play and is now seen as launching a new generation of playwrights who were unafraid to shock and court controversy. This unsettling, dreamlike piece has surreal undertones and thematically explores fear, dreams and story-telling. The Fastest Clock in the Universe is a multi-award-winning play which caused a sensation when it premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 1992. An edgy and provocative drama, it is now regarded as a contemporary classic. Ghost from a Perfect Place is a scorchingly nasty blend of comedy, spectacle and terror where a monster from the past meets the monsters of the present.

Philip Ridley was born in the East End of London where he still lives and works. He studied painting at St Martin's School of Art. He has written novels for both adults and children, screenplays, librettos, poems and lyrics. He is also a photographer and film director of some repute.

(The Pitchfork Disney) leaves us in no doubt about the influence and prophetic aptness of Philip Ridley's play. Ridley's writing delights in metaphor and is often intriguing. -- Henry Hithchings * Evening Standard * The Pitchfork Disney: Ridley taps into universal fears and anxieties though giving us access into a blackly comic and cockneyfied nversion of his own. -- Paul Taylor * Independent * The Pitchfork Disney: (This is) more than zeitgeisty self-abuse because of the profound expressions of loss in the twins' childhood memories, and their choking fear of the world. -- Libby Purves * Times * It's Ridley's storytelling that impresses. -- Jane Edwardes * Sunday Times * The Pitchfork Disney: It's extremity of situation and poetic language is a masterpiece of understatement. What Ridley unleashe(s) most of all and what he has seldom been equalled at, is an electrifying ardour for telling stories and the value of same. The sheer creative energy remains undiminished. -- Ian Shuttleworth * Financial Times * The Pitchfork Disney: Ridley's rich but viscous play, whose top register is horror-struck lyricism. It's exceptionally crafted. -- Caroline McGinn * Time Out London *