Road

by Jim Cartwright

Published 14 August 1986
Under the guidance of the rum-soaked wideboy Scullery, we are taken on an evening's tour of a scruffy, depressed road in a small Lancashire town. Moving from street corner to living room, from bedroom to kitchen, we meet the inhabitants of young, middle-aged, and old, glimpsing their socially and emotionally wretched lives, in this sharp, sad, funny, and angry play.

Little Voice (LV) lives alone with her mother Mari, whose sole purpose in life is to find a man. When Mari's latest catch - Ray -hears LV's impersonations of famous singers, he rushes to exploit it, and the result destroys LV. Finally, however, LV regains the courage to speak and sing in her own voice. This Jim Cartwright comedy, in turn savage and sentimental, was originally presented at the National and Adwhych Theatres with Jane Horrocks, Alison Steadman and Pete Postlethwaite in the starring roles.