This new play by Rona Munro (Ken Loach’s Ladybird, Ladybird) is inspired by the Manchester riots of 2011 and by Manchester’s famous Scuttler gangs. The Scuttlers date back to 1885 and have much in common with Birmingham’s Peaky Blinders, brought to life by Cillian Murphy and friends in the recent TV drama of the same name. Yet Manchester’s Scuttlers were, if anything, stranger looking and even more violent than their Brummie brethren. They ruled the streets of Ancoats before the Peaky Blinders time, products of the world’s first industrial suburb. In what was then a dirty and smoke-clogged part of the city, 50 000 people lived in one square mile, right next to the mills they worked in. Theatre goers can expect contemporary dress and cool hair in this new commission, which puts the edgy side of city life, both now and then, under the microscope. Director is Wils Wilson, whose credits include National Theatre of Scotland’s The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart.

Thu 5 Feb – Sat 7 Mar, Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester M2 7DH. Tel: 0161 833 9833, times and prices vary, www.royalexchange.co.uk

Thu 5 Feb - Sat 7 Mar
Words:
Joshua Gordon
Published on:
Wed 18 Feb 2015