Posh (play)
Encyclopedia
Posh is a play by the British playwright Laura Wade
which was first staged at the Royal Court Theatre
downstairs in 2010. The play set in an Oxford
student dining club
called "The Riot Club" a fictionalised version of the Bullingdon Club
. The play received a lot of attention as it was produced so near the British election
and it very favourable if wary reviews including a coveted 5 stars from Time Out magazine. Three amateur productions were staged at the John Thaw Studio by Manchester
, the Brian Friel Theatre
by Queen's University Players, and its first amateur production by the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club
at the ADC
in Cambridge
, all in February 2011.
"The Riot Club" have rented out a country pub's dining room for their monthly dinner. Their president, James who is about to leave university is falling out of love with the club and promising to keep things under control to the suspicious landlord Chris and his waitress daughter Rachel. While James shies away from his 'duties' others vie for his upcoming position. Inspired by his godfather the Tory MP
Jeremy, Guy tries to impress with a ten bird roast others are less restrained hiring Charlie the prostitute who they are surprised has any scruples and won't get under the table and perform oral sex
on the members while hiding from Chris.
As the members get more drunk and rowdy their bullying of not only Chris and Rachel but each other gets steadily worse. Having tried to force Rachel to kiss them all she runs out and they wreck the room. Chris bursts in outraged and the members assault him, knocking him out on the wall. Horrified they panic and bar the door despite the landlord being seriously hurt. Eventually they all agree to pin the blame on Alistair who has consistently riled them throughout the night provoking them with speeches against the working classes and Chris himself. They agree that, as they will all end up being successful they will all look after Alistair and make sure they 'see him right', this agreed they open the door to the distraught Rachel and allow her to call an ambulance.
Weeks later and Alistair meets with Jeremy who has successfully managed to weaken the charge against him and effectively get him off the hook, intrigued by his politics Jeremy promises Alistair that he will be keeping a close eye on him in future and that he has high hopes for him.
The production on the Royal Court Theatre
's main stage in London came during the 2010 UK election and as such garnered much attention for its anti-conservative party stance and portrayal of the Bullingdon Club
(here named the Riot Club) to which the leader at the time of the Conservatives David Cameron
, his Chancellor George Osbourne and the Tory Mayor of London
Boris Johnson
were all members of.
The production's scene changes were marked by the Riot Club's acapella renditions of current popular music such as the grime
rapper Wiley
's Wearing My Rolex
, the music was arranged by James Fortune
.
by Alan Bennett
's original cast. The most common gripe with critics was around what some called an unbelievable ending however the play received 4 stars from nearly all the major publications and 5 stars from Time Out. The play was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play and nominated for Best New Play at the Theatregoers' Choice Award
in 2011.
The Irish premiere of the play, by the Queen's University Players, the drama society of the Queen's University of Belfast, played two sell-out audiences at the Brian Friel Theatre. Another sell-out show followed at the Druid Lane Theatre in Galway, for which the production was awarded the 2011 Irish Student Drama Award for Best Ensemble. The production was also nominated for five other ISDAs, including Best Play, Best Director (Adam Turns), Best Supporting Actor (Anton Thompson-McCormick), Best Lighting Design (Ciara McCafferty) and Best Costume Design (Dot Kelly).
Laura Wade
Laura Wade is a British playwright. Wade grew up in Sheffield, where her father worked for a computer company....
which was first staged at the Royal Court Theatre
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...
downstairs in 2010. The play set in an Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
student dining club
Dining club
A dining club is a social group, usually requiring membership , which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers...
called "The Riot Club" a fictionalised version of the Bullingdon Club
Bullingdon Club
The Bullingdon Club is a socially exclusive student dining club at Oxford University. The club has no permanent rooms and is notorious for its members' wealth and destructive binges. Membership is by invitation only, and prohibitively expensive for most, given the need to pay for the uniform,...
. The play received a lot of attention as it was produced so near the British election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
and it very favourable if wary reviews including a coveted 5 stars from Time Out magazine. Three amateur productions were staged at the John Thaw Studio by Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the Brian Friel Theatre
Brian Friel Theatre
The Brian Friel Theatre is a studio theatre located at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was opened in February 2009 and is named after the Irish dramatist, theatre director and author, Brian Friel....
by Queen's University Players, and its first amateur production by the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club
Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club
Founded in 1855, the Amateur Dramatic Club is the oldest University dramatic society in England - and the largest dramatic society in Cambridge....
at the ADC
ADC Theatre
The ADC Theatre is a theatre in Cambridge, England and also a department of the University of Cambridge. It is located in Park Street, north off Jesus Lane. The theatre is owned by the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club , but is currently run as the smallest department of the university,...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, all in February 2011.
Plot
Ten elite members of the exclusive dining clubDining club
A dining club is a social group, usually requiring membership , which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers...
"The Riot Club" have rented out a country pub's dining room for their monthly dinner. Their president, James who is about to leave university is falling out of love with the club and promising to keep things under control to the suspicious landlord Chris and his waitress daughter Rachel. While James shies away from his 'duties' others vie for his upcoming position. Inspired by his godfather the Tory MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Jeremy, Guy tries to impress with a ten bird roast others are less restrained hiring Charlie the prostitute who they are surprised has any scruples and won't get under the table and perform oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on the members while hiding from Chris.
As the members get more drunk and rowdy their bullying of not only Chris and Rachel but each other gets steadily worse. Having tried to force Rachel to kiss them all she runs out and they wreck the room. Chris bursts in outraged and the members assault him, knocking him out on the wall. Horrified they panic and bar the door despite the landlord being seriously hurt. Eventually they all agree to pin the blame on Alistair who has consistently riled them throughout the night provoking them with speeches against the working classes and Chris himself. They agree that, as they will all end up being successful they will all look after Alistair and make sure they 'see him right', this agreed they open the door to the distraught Rachel and allow her to call an ambulance.
Weeks later and Alistair meets with Jeremy who has successfully managed to weaken the charge against him and effectively get him off the hook, intrigued by his politics Jeremy promises Alistair that he will be keeping a close eye on him in future and that he has high hopes for him.
Premier
| Character | Original Cast, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Director | Lyndsey Turner |
| Jeremy (an MP) | Simon Shepherd Simon Shepherd Simon Shepherd is a British actor. He is well known to TV audiences from many appearances, including Dr Will Preston in five series of ITV's Peak Practice.... |
| Chris | Daniel Ryan Daniel Ryan (actor) Daniel Ryan is an English actor and writer.He is known for starring as Darren Alexander in the BBC drama comedy Linda Green, Andrew Gilligan in The Government Inspector, Andy Coulson in Steel River Blues and Kenny Reed in The Whistleblowers... |
| Rachel | Fiona Button Fiona Button Fiona Button is an English actress.After graduating from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in 2007, she has played various parts both on stage and television... |
| Charlie | Charlotte Lucas Charlotte Lucas Charlotte Lucas is an English actress and painter.-Early life:Born in 1976 into an acting family, Lucas is the granddaughter of Linden Travers and Guy Leon. Linden appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. Charlotte is the great niece of Bill Travers who appeared in Born Free... |
| Alistair Ryle | Leo Bill Leo Bill Leo Bill is an English actor, best known for his role as James Brocklebank in 2006 film The Living and the Dead. He is son of the actress Sheila Kelley.-Filmography:-Theatre:... |
| Toby Maitland | Jolyon Coy |
| Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt | David Dawson David Dawson (actor) David Dawson is a British actor. He has appeared on television in The Road to Coronation Street and Luther and on stage in Comedians, Posh and Luise Miller.-Early life:... |
| Guy Bellingfield | Joshua MGuire |
| George Balfour | Richard Goulding |
| Harry Villiers | Harry Hadden-Paton Harry Hadden-Paton -Stage:He was commended in the 2007 Ian Charleson Awards for his appearances in Romeo and Juliet at the Battersea Arts Centre and in The Importance of Being Earnest for the Peter Hall Company at Bath. He appeared in the 2010 premiere of Posh at the Royal Court... |
| Ed Montgomery | Kit Harington Kit Harington Christopher "Kit" Harington is an English film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:Harington attended Southfield Primary School between 1992 and 1998. Harington then went on to attend the Chantry High School, in Martley between 1998 and 2003... |
| Dimitri Mitropoulos | Henry Lloyd-Hughes Henry Lloyd-Hughes Henry Lloyd-Hughes is an English actor who is best known for playing school bully Mark Donovan in the E4 comedy The Inbetweeners, as well as a minor role as Roger Davies in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.He was educated at St Paul's School, London... |
| James Leighton- Master | Tom Mison Tom Mison Tom Mison is an English actor. He trained at the Webber-Douglas Academy.His theatre credits include 2009's When the Rain Stops Falling at the Almeida Theatre and Posh by Laura Wade at the Royal Court Theatre in 2010.... |
| Miles Richards | James Norton |
The production on the Royal Court Theatre
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...
's main stage in London came during the 2010 UK election and as such garnered much attention for its anti-conservative party stance and portrayal of the Bullingdon Club
Bullingdon Club
The Bullingdon Club is a socially exclusive student dining club at Oxford University. The club has no permanent rooms and is notorious for its members' wealth and destructive binges. Membership is by invitation only, and prohibitively expensive for most, given the need to pay for the uniform,...
(here named the Riot Club) to which the leader at the time of the Conservatives David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, his Chancellor George Osbourne and the Tory Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
were all members of.
The production's scene changes were marked by the Riot Club's acapella renditions of current popular music such as the grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
rapper Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
's Wearing My Rolex
Wearing My Rolex
"Wearing My Rolex" is a 2008 single from British grime artist Wiley who is a founding member of the Roll Deep Crew. Described as "grime-meets-electro" on Radio 1XTRA, the song samples DSK's song "What Would We Do" and was released on 5 May 2008 by Asylum/Atlantic Records...
, the music was arranged by James Fortune
James Fortune
James Fortune is a gospel music singer. He is a graduate of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas, and attended Cal State Northridge. He is the choir director at Higher Dimension Church in SW Houston, TX. Higher Dimension church was organized on January 23, 1999 at Judy Bush Elementary School...
.
Reception
The play received generally favourable reviews and the acting all round was well praised with some reviewers comparing the unilaterally strong young male cast to the success of The History BoysThe History Boys
The History Boys is a play by British playwright Alan Bennett. The play premiered at the Lyttelton Theatre in London on 18 May 2004. Its Broadway debut was on 23 April 2006 at the Broadhurst Theatre where there were 185 performances staged before it closed on 1 October 2006.The play won multiple...
by Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett is a British playwright, screenwriter, actor and author. Born in Leeds, he attended Oxford University where he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research mediaeval history at the university for several years...
's original cast. The most common gripe with critics was around what some called an unbelievable ending however the play received 4 stars from nearly all the major publications and 5 stars from Time Out. The play was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play and nominated for Best New Play at the Theatregoers' Choice Award
Theatregoers' Choice Award
The Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards are organised by the theatre website Whatsonstage.com and recognise the performers and productions of British theatre with emphasis on London's West End. Nominations and eventual winners are selected by the theatre-going public....
in 2011.
The Irish premiere of the play, by the Queen's University Players, the drama society of the Queen's University of Belfast, played two sell-out audiences at the Brian Friel Theatre. Another sell-out show followed at the Druid Lane Theatre in Galway, for which the production was awarded the 2011 Irish Student Drama Award for Best Ensemble. The production was also nominated for five other ISDAs, including Best Play, Best Director (Adam Turns), Best Supporting Actor (Anton Thompson-McCormick), Best Lighting Design (Ciara McCafferty) and Best Costume Design (Dot Kelly).