Awards

• Winner of James Tait Black Prize for Drama 2014 (UK)

Overview

On a farm, in a village, on the fringe of Europe, life is simple but hard. When the sweeping forces of war and progress pass through, Lizaveta must run for her life. Finding shelter on an old woman’s farm, she tries to piece her life back together. But her past catches up with her and she must keep moving. Her journey through a land of mud and blood, icon painters and holy fools, takes her across continents to the other side of the world. Through Lizaveta’s eyes familiar places and notions of love, family and identity become distant and strange. Cannibals is a bold and unique play by Manchester playwright, Rory Mullarkey. It is his first full-length play, written while he was Pearson Playwright in Residence at the Royal Exchange in 2011.

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9781472524935

Table of Contents

Reviews

The narrative feels as primal and timeless as an orthodox chant, boldly connecting a mythic world of babushkas, icon-painters and holy fools to the plight of abducted east European brides in modern-day Manchester ... Cannibals is not an easy play to watch, or even a particularly easy play to like. But it could be one of the most provocative, original and disturbing debuts since Blasted. -- Alfred Hickling Guardian 20130409 Hard, uncompromising and in its literal sense visceral, there are some truly unappetising moments in this brutal and bloody drama. Yet it is far from being a relentless gore-fest ... There is real tension in the play ... brilliantly exciting drama. -- Jonathan Brown Independent 20130409 Mullarkey ... has talent, for seeking out a real subject and for translating it into action on stage. -- Susannah Clapp Observer 20130414

The narrative feels as primal and timeless as an orthodox chant, boldly connecting a mythic world of babushkas, icon-painters and holy fools to the plight of abducted east European brides in modern-day Manchester … Cannibals is not an easy play to watch, or even a particularly easy play to like. But it could be one of the most provocative, original and disturbing debuts since Blasted. -- Alfred Hickling * Guardian * Hard, uncompromising and in its literal sense visceral, there are some truly unappetising moments in this brutal and bloody drama. Yet it is far from being a relentless gore-fest … There is real tension in the play … brilliantly exciting drama. -- Jonathan Brown * Independent * Mullarkey ... has talent, for seeking out a real subject and for translating it into action on stage. -- Susannah Clapp * Observer *

The narrative feels as primal and timeless as an orthodox chant, boldly connecting a mythic world of babushkas, icon-painters and holy fools to the plight of abducted east European brides in modern-day Manchester . Cannibals is not an easy play to watch, or even a particularly easy play to like. But it could be one of the most provocative, original and disturbing debuts since Blasted. -- Alfred Hickling Guardian 20130409 Hard, uncompromising and in its literal sense visceral, there are some truly unappetising moments in this brutal and bloody drama. Yet it is far from being a relentless gore-fest . There is real tension in the play . brilliantly exciting drama. -- Jonathan Brown Independent 20130409 Mullarkey ... has talent, for seeking out a real subject and for translating it into action on stage. -- Susannah Clapp Observer 20130414

The narrative feels as primal and timeless as an orthodox chant, boldly connecting a mythic world of babushkas, icon-painters and holy fools to the plight of abducted east European brides in modern-day Manchester ... Cannibals is not an easy play to watch, or even a particularly easy play to like. But it could be one of the most provocative, original and disturbing debuts since Blasted. -- Alfred Hickling Guardian Hard, uncompromising and in its literal sense visceral, there are some truly unappetising moments in this brutal and bloody drama. Yet it is far from being a relentless gore-fest ... There is real tension in the play ... brilliantly exciting drama. -- Jonathan Brown Independent Mullarkey ... has talent, for seeking out a real subject and for translating it into action on stage. -- Susannah Clapp Observer

Author Information

Rory Mullarkey was appointed Pearson Playwright in summer 2011 and joined the Royal Exchange as the Pearson Playwright in Residence. He has studied at the State Theatrical Arts Academy of St Petersburg. A translator of Russian drama, his recent work includes a translation of Remembrance Day by Aleksey Scherbak, produced in 2011 at the Royal Court, London. Other original plays include Single Sex (Royal Exchange); Tourism (Headlong); Come To Where I'm From (Paines Plough); and The Grandfathers (National Theatre Connections, published by Methuen Drama).

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