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Samantha Robinson, Taj Atwal, Sally Bankes, David Walker, James Atherton & Gemma Dobson (Photo: Helen Murray)

Samantha Robinson, Taj Atwal, Sally Bankes, David Walker, James Atherton & Gemma Dobson (Photo: Helen Murray)

Max Stafford-Clark casts Rita, Sue And Bob Too

First Published 20 July 2017, Last Updated 20 July 2017

Full casting has been announced for the revival of Andrea Dunbar’s semi-autobiographical play Rita, Sue And Bob Too, which Max Stafford-Clark will revisit at the Royal Court in January 2018.

Having led the play’s original production at the Royal Court in 1982, the acclaimed director’s cast this time around will include James Atherton (Crocodiles, Royal Exchange Manchester), Taj Atwal & Sally Bankes (both in East Is East, West End), Gemma Dobson (professional stage debut), Samantha Robinson (Screwed, Theatre503) and David Walker (Hangmen, West End).

Originally penned by Dunbar in 1982 when she was just 19, Rita, Sue And Bob Too is a vivid portrait of girls caught between brutal childhood and an unpromising future, hungry for adult adventure.

The landmark play will run in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from Tuesday 9 January 2018 – Saturday 27 January as part of a UK tour co-produced by Out of Joint, Royal Court Theatre and Octagon Theatre.

Rita, Sue And Bob Too sees best friends Rita and Sue hitch a ride home with Bob, after babysitting his kids. But the surprising offer of a little fun along the scenic route leads to a fling they each think they control, and wicked humour and startling insight ensue.

Commenting on the play, Director Max Stafford-Clark said, “When Andrea wrote her first two plays, she was a teenager from a rough council estate who’d never been to the theatre. Now, thirty-five years after its premiere, Rita Sue And Bob Too takes its place in the Octagon and Royal Court’s seasons in the role of Classic Play.

“It’s one of the privileges of my career that Andrea’s astute, fresh and funny writing reached my desk, and it is exciting to bring her vivid, albeit alarming world to life again with these fine actors.”

You can book your tickets through the Royal Court’s website.

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