Lucky Dog
Encyclopedia
Lucky Dog by Leo Butler
is play which premiered in the upstairs Jerwood Theatre of Royal Court
in 2004.
Butler has said that he was inspired by the image of a woman turning into a dog and had the title and that image long before the play or narrative. He says that he had written several scenes involving that image and title before he found the Christmas setting and found he could write the play.
The play is split in half with the first part of the action being set a Christmas time in Sheffield and the second almost silent part abroad a year later. It centers on an older married couple Eddie and sue and the bitterness and desperation that comes into their marriage once their son has left home. The central event to the play is where Sue acts like their dog snarling and growling at her husband.
Eddie fifties, Sue's husband, seemingly indifferent and callous to her in the first half
Brett ten, the neighbour's obnoxious son
reviewed the play saying...
The Guardian
's review is available Review of Lucky Dog, The Guardian, May 20, 2004, by Michael Billington
Leo Butler
Leo Butler is a British playwright. He graduated from the Royal Court's young writers' scheme. He is active since 2000, when he was described as one of the "Great British Hopes". His plays have been staged, among others, by the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National...
is play which premiered in the upstairs Jerwood Theatre of Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in 2004.
Butler has said that he was inspired by the image of a woman turning into a dog and had the title and that image long before the play or narrative. He says that he had written several scenes involving that image and title before he found the Christmas setting and found he could write the play.
The play is split in half with the first part of the action being set a Christmas time in Sheffield and the second almost silent part abroad a year later. It centers on an older married couple Eddie and sue and the bitterness and desperation that comes into their marriage once their son has left home. The central event to the play is where Sue acts like their dog snarling and growling at her husband.
Characters
Sue fifties, desperate for Eddie's attention and to be liked by Brett it is her central transformation into the couple's dog that is key to the playEddie fifties, Sue's husband, seemingly indifferent and callous to her in the first half
Brett ten, the neighbour's obnoxious son
Reviews
The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
reviewed the play saying...
A darkly funny and remarkably poignant portrait of a marriage. Butler;s dialogue combines naturalistic chat, a musical sense of phrase and pause, and surreal episodes. The last act is an extraordinary coup de theatre, imbued with an almost heavenly sense of new-found tenderness and atonement Independent on sunday
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's review is available Review of Lucky Dog, The Guardian, May 20, 2004, by Michael Billington