A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Handbag

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  3w, 3m

Mark Ravenhill

"In Shopping and Fucking, Mark Ravenhill made theatre relevant to the Thatcher generation. Now he's put videos and Net-surfing in Faust. And it's no less stunning" (Guardian)

Handbag

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
Twenty-eight years before The Importance of Being Earnest, a young woman gives birth to a baby boy. Is it an accident when Nanny places him in a handbag and her unpublished novel into the pram? In 1998 a new baby is stolen and an academic discovers an unpublished novel of more than usual revolting sentimentality. From Victorian wet nurses to 90s sperm banks, Mark Ravenhill's play examines the role of parenting in an age of diverse sexualities, biological engineering and Tinky Winky's handbag.
History

First performed at the Lyric Hammersmith Studio, London, in 1998 and was commissioned by the Actors Touring Company.

Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period 1990s, Victorian (British and American)
  • Setting London, in both the 1990s and the 1860s
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Drugs
    • Intense Adult Themes

Media

REVIEWS

"A promising idea awaits dramatic payoff in 'Handbag,' the Mark Ravenhill play that — whatever else its achievements — confirms that the author of 'Shopping and Fucking' is no one-play wonder." - Variety, Read More

"Handbag entertainingly and sometimes jarringly explores the timeless search for love, acceptance and meaning in what’s often an unwelcoming world." - Washington Blade, Read More 

"There are few stage authors writing more interestingly than Mark Ravenhill ...He is - it is now yet more evident - a searing, intelligent, disturbing sociologist with a talent for satirical dialogue and a flair for sexual sensationalism." - Financial Times

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
    This title may have restrictions in place for London based productions. Please submit a licence request to confirm specific availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Mark Ravenhill

Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill was born in Haywards Heath, West Sussex in 1966. He studied Drama and English at Bristol University. His first play, Shopping and Fucking, was produced by Out of Joint and the Royal Court Theatre in 1996. Subsequent plays include Faust Is Dead and Handbag (both ...
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