The Southbury Child
Description
Raffish, urbane and frequently drunk, David Highland has kept a grip on his remote coastal parish through a combination of disordered charm and high-handed determination.
When his faith impels him to take a hard line with a bereaved parishioner, he finds himself dangerously isolated from public opinion. As his own family begins to fracture, David must face a future that threatens to extinguish not only his position in the town, but everything he stands for.
Stephen Beresford's play The Southbury Child is a darkly comic drama exploring family and community, the savage divisions of contemporary society, and the rituals that punctuate our lives.
Reviews
"A rare and heartfelt portrait of post-Christian Britain."
- The Times
"Electrifying, bristling with wit and ideas... Can almost be considered as a companion piece to Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, exploring some of the same themes in a similar setting, a clash of local cultures embedded within a fracturing national culture."
- Broadway World
"Hugely cathartic, this is the play of the year so far... blissfully funny and ineffably touching... a heaven-sent new play."
- Telegraph