Flesh and Bone (NHB Modern Plays)

By Eliot Warren

A vivid and fast-paced ride through a working-class London estate, fusing Shakespeare-inspired lyricism with Cockney accents.
First seen at the Etcetera Theatre, London, in December 2016, Elliot Warren's play Flesh and Bone moved to the Pleasance Dome at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (where it won a Fringe First, amongst other awards), and subsequently to the Adelaide Fringe (where it was overall winner of the Best Theatre Award) and Soho Theatre, London, in 2018.
'Blistering... explodes on to the stage as if Shakespeare was alive and well and living in a tower block in east London... the play's elevated language spliced with realism allows the characters to talk about who they are underneath: vital, interesting, multi-dimensional souls who want to live fruitful lives' - Scotsman
'Barges its way onto the stage and stays there, shouty, gobby and full of heart until the last, painting a portrait of an east London council estate as rollickingly funny as it is punchily poignant... a bunker-busting hotchpotch of monologues and short skits, smashing together an archaic lyricism and a contemporary, expletive-filled vernacular' - The Stage
'Visceral, high-octane... leaves you with much to think about' - British Theatre Guide
'Has a glorious, rolling swagger... this lyrical ode to the community of a London council estate is blunt, filthy and ingenious... [the] spittle-flecked gobbets of blank verse shove Shakespeare in between sinewy streams of modern patter. It works beautifully, turning the air blue with its sweary rhythm and pitch. The poetry of it hits like two fingers flicked with a smile' - Fest Mag

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Release date: Jul 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781788500715

Eliot Warren

Elliot Warren is a writer and actor from Essex. His work has been performed at Soho Theatre, National Theatre Studio, The Pleasance Theatre and Holden Street Theatre in Australia. Flesh and Bone was his debut play. It received a Scotsman Fringe First for outstanding writing and an Overall Best Theatre Award at the Adelaide Fringe. Elliot has also written and directed and starred in the miniseries Stick Up, that has gained over twelve million views online, and is being developed into a feature film. Elliot is the co-founder of Unpolished Theatre.

Book preview

Prologue

What a Piece of Work is a Man

A central spotlight. Smoke hangs in the air. A low rumble of guttural noise.

The stage is empty.

TERRENCE, wild-eyed yet ostensibly poised, takes centre stage.

The nerves around his eye twitch as he observes the audience with dangerous intent.

Our characters speak with virile eloquence.

TERRENCE. What a piece of work is a man. A beast of many forms, traits, ideas. Power maketh man, Greed maketh man. Man maketh love, desire, hate, fear and lust. Money maketh man, today. Without coinage how does one expect to survive? Down in the gutter, deep down what where people don’t like to talk about that’s where I reside, my life is led boldly where no nancy wants to stroll. Step lightly around these ends my friends, for this is East London where the villains do rock and