Reseña

The Methuen Drama Book of Twenty-First Century British Plays showcases five of the best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century. A perfect reminder of the relevance, vitality and innovation of British theatre, this collection represents some of the most exciting plays to emerge in recent years. Joe Penhall's multi-award-winning Blue/Orange (National Theatre and West End, 2000/1) was heralded as 'one of the best new plays in the National's history' (Sunday Times). Set in a mental hospital it provides a riveting exploration of racism, health and power, and was the winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play 2001. Elmina's Kitchen by Kwame Kwei-Armah (National Theatre and West End, 2003) about gun crime and the struggle to make a living on Hackney's Murder Mile, marked the emergence of a major new writing talent. The play was the first of a tryptch of plays commissioned and produced by the National Theatre. 'An exquisite tragi-comedy for our times' (Herald) Neilson's Realism (Royal Lyceum, 2006) dramatises the everyday life and increasingly bizarre fantasies and thoughts of its protagonist with comic zeal and inspired inventiveness. Gone Too Far! explores a London community divided by race and prejudice. The debut play by Bola Agbaje, it was produced to great acclaim as part of the Royal Court's Young Writers Festival 2007. The first play to be written about the London 7/7 terrorist bombings, Simon Stephens' Pornography tells seven entwining stories of people's lives during the day leading up to the catastrophic event.