Hangmen by Martin McDonagh
Tuesday 13 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Wednesday 14 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Thursday 15 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Friday 16 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Saturday 17 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Sunday 18 August from 2pm to 4:30pm Thursday 22 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Friday 23 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Saturday 24 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Sunday 25 August from 2pm to 4:30pm Thursday 29 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Friday 30 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Saturday 31 August from 7:30pm to 10pm Sunday 1 September from 2pm to 4:30pm Thursday 5 September from 7:30pm to 10pm Friday 6 September from 7:30pm to 10pm Saturday 7 September from 7:30pm to 10pm Sunday 8 September from 2pm to 4:30pm Thursday 12 September from 7:30pm to 10pm Friday 13 September from 7:30pm to 10pm Saturday 14 September from 2pm to 4:30pm
“The electric bloody chair! I’m told when that goes wrong they come out sizzling like a bloody steak.”
It’s 1965, and capital punishment has just been abolished in the UK.
In a dingy, old-school pub in Oldham, the landlord, Harry, who until recently was known as ‘the second-best hangman in Britain’, holds court.
Surrounded by a motley crew of sycophants and hangers-on, he relishes the celebrity his profession has brought him.
His wife works behind the bar; neither seems to notice that their anxious, awkward teenage daughter is ripe for exploitation.
The arrival of a mysterious stranger from ‘the South’ turns the atmosphere toxic with suspicion, and when Harry’s arch-rival turns up, the clash of egos is both brutal and desperately sad.
This brilliantly plotted and wildly off-beat play is a stinging condemnation of state-sanctioned murder delivered with furious, macabre humour.
Winner: 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Play
“Tremendous: a departure, and a deepening of McDonagh’s talents.” The Guardian