
Mayfly
Joe White(Author)
Nick Hern Books (Publisher)
Published on 19. April 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
80 pages
978-1-84842-734-1 (ISBN)
Description
The mayfly hatches in the morning, mates in the afternoon, dies at night: a lot can happen in a day.
A family searches for new beginnings:
Ben thinks they might be better off without him, but his wife Cat has read her stars: `Today a very special
person will appear from out the blue'.
Their daughter Loops is getting ready for a date. It's her first one, and she has everything crossed.
People think that cos you're from a small village, everyone will know you. But we can still go missing. Even out here.
An ethereal family drama, Joe White's debut play Mayfly explores rebirth in the aftermath of tragedy
A family searches for new beginnings:
Ben thinks they might be better off without him, but his wife Cat has read her stars: `Today a very special
person will appear from out the blue'.
Their daughter Loops is getting ready for a date. It's her first one, and she has everything crossed.
People think that cos you're from a small village, everyone will know you. But we can still go missing. Even out here.
An ethereal family drama, Joe White's debut play Mayfly explores rebirth in the aftermath of tragedy
Reviews / Votes
'This debut play crackles with unforced humour... White has the assurance of an Ayckbourn in saddling apparently 'ordinary' people with big problems and emotions, thus proving how far from ordinary they are, and he juggles tone and pacing like a veteran... a seriously promising start' * The Times * 'A triumph... a delicate and tender examination of rural isolation and familial grief' * Evening Standard * 'A show tinged with loss and a longing for past glories... for all the simmering emotion, however, it's not a maudlin piece; there's a surprising amount of laughs and Joe White's script delicately moves conversation from touching moment to humorous awkward exchange, each scene crafted to move the action of the day forward in a quirky but believable way' * British Theatre Guide * 'A heartbreakingly funny debut... this is a tender and wise play suffused with grief and absence that scratches at the fragility of our existence and asks how we keep alive our memories of those we have lost. It's a play about people consumed by misery yet it is unexpectedly funny and - like its dented, broken characters - always likable' * Guardian * 'Illuminates the darkness and longing of the loss of a loved one... it's also brilliantly funny. Even in the play's darkest moments, there are laugh-out-loud lines' * WhatsOnStage * 'White has an ability to switch between sharp wit and pathos in a heartbeat... an impressive debut from a very promising writer' * Broadway World * 'An affecting debut play... White has a great ear for the sharp and sometimes spiteful edges of grief' * Time Out * 'A special play... there is an honesty to White's writing, and a willingness to put his heart on the line' * Exeunt Magazine *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Weight
87 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84842-734-1 (9781848427341)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Joe White is an alumnus of the Orange Tree Writers Collective. He has also been the Channel 4 Playwright on Attachment at Pentabus Theatre Company, and a member of the Old Vic 12.