Last Orders (Dec 2009)

In between the 24:7 Theatre Festival and Maine Road’s 2010 tour, Monkeywood didn’t let the grass grow under their feet, performing another play by McDonald Hughes, Last Orders, at Manchester’s prestigious Royal Exchange Theatre in December. Sarah was commissioned to write the play about ‘everything always being the same and nothing ever changing’ for the Royal Exchange’s PUB season. The Exchange turned their studio into a fully working local boozer, inviting drama, poetry, music and stories to be played out in the specific setting. Monkeywood thoroughly enjoyed the production and hope to extend it to a full-length play for a possible tour in Autumn 2010.

We were joined for comedy, a love story and a pint on 3rd December in the studio….

‘Actually – I think I went to school with him you know.’

‘What – that one with the apron on?’

‘No you cheeky mare. The one with the pint.’

‘They’ve all got bloody pints.’

‘The one holding his pint, now, look.’

‘What him?’

‘No – not him. Oh he’s put it down now. He’s lovely.’

Robbie is out on his last night of freedom. Michelle is out on her last night in Manchester. Ten years ago they very nearly kissed…

Last Orders is about everything always being the same and nothing ever changing – and everything changing and nothing being the same ever again.