Everyman Theatre. They then went on to produce the world
premieres of many of his plays, most of which transferred
successfully to the west end.
Throughout this play dramatic irony is used, this is where the
audience knows something one or more of the caracters on
stage don't know. Willy Russell uses this to emphasize the
differences between the classes more.
Stage directions are very important for somebody who has
not seen the play and is just reading the play, this is because
they help you create mental picture of whats going on in the
play.
The play repeatedly shows cultural differences though the
way the boys speak throughout the play. An example of this is
when Edward says "your a fuck off" showing his
misunderstanding in the use of swear words, this contrasts to
when Micky says "take a flying fuck at a dounut" which shows
his understanding and exposure to swear words as he has
grown up. Another contrast in the boys language is when Micky
says "It's a thingy, init" referring to a dictionary which shows
lack of education because he doesn't know what a dictionary
is. Where as when Edward says "Fantastic, I will look that up in
the dictionary when i get home", Edwards understanding of
what a dictionary is and how it is used shows his intelligence
and class. The audience would think that Edward is very
intellectual in contrast to Mickey.
One thing that the audience would be taken a back by would
be the part in the play when Linda first sees Edward and says
he's "handsome" even though Mickey and Edward are identical
twins! This is because Edward has a overall better appearance
than Mickey because he comes from a big house, has smart
clothes and is clean which contrasts with Mikeys trodden down
clothes and dirty appearance. I think Willy Russell is trying to
say that people who come from a richer culture have a better
chance at most things in life as is shown in this example.
Another theme which repeatedly crops up during the play is
the superstition and is shown in the beginning of the play
where Mrs.Johnstone says "You never put new shoes on the
table" which prompts Mrs.Lyons to ask "So, your superstitious?"
to which Mrs.Johnstone replies "No I'm not, you just don't put
new shoes on the table." This shows an lack of understanding
in the lower class because Mrs.Johnstone didn't even
understand what superstition was. The audience would see
how Willy Russell shows the difference between upper and
lower class citizens.
Adults are used thoughout the play to represent the boys,
make the play more humorous and also because of the fact
that some people might be offended if they see young boys
swearing on stage.