Charlotte Keatley's powerful, poignant drama follows four generations of mothers and daughters through the sweeping societal changes of the 20th century

‘A landmark play, the theatrical equivalent of breaking the four-minute mile’ Guardian

Written in 1985, this groundbreaking play premiered at Contact Theatre, Manchester, in 1987. It subsequently won the Royal Court/George Devine Award and the Manchester Evening News Best New Play Award, and in 2000, the National Theatre included it in their list of the 100 ‘Significant Plays of the 20th Century’. Translated into 33 languages, it has been performed worldwide and is acknowledged as a contemporary classic.

Set in Manchester and London and moving back and forth in time between 1923 and 1987, it focuses on four women from one working-class family, bound together by entanglement and estrangement. Born at the turn of the century, matriarch Doris sacrifices her teaching career to become a wife and mother. Her daughter Margaret believes ‘women can do anything’, but finds herself in ‘50s suburbia juggling work and domesticity. When Margaret’s daughter Jackie, an art student and 1970s hippy, falls pregnant at 18 and has baby Rosie, a decision is made that will have profound and lasting effects on them all…

As they navigate the highs and lows of their lives, balancing the complexities of motherhood, education, career and self-expression, we witness how each new generation is able to push further than their parents – and how the choices of one generation affect the potential of the next.

Adapted for audio by Keatley herself, this moving, funny and bittersweet drama features an all-female cast, and stars Lesley Nicol, Siobhan Finneran, Cecilia Appiah and Bebe Massey.
Production credits
Written and adapted by Charlotte Keatley
Produced and Directed by Nadia Molinari
Pianist: Adam Hutchins
Sound Design by Sharon Hughes
Production Co-ordinator: Pippa Day
This production is dedicated to the memory of Wyllie Longmore

Cast
Doris – Lesley Nicol
Margaret – Siobhan Finneran
Jackie – Cecilia Appiah
Rosie – Bebe Massey
Child Doris – Matilda Kent
Child Margaret – Isla Pritchard
Child Jackie – Mimi-Raie Mhlanga

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 April-5 May 2024