Poster advertising the 2013 London revival of The Fastest Clock in the Universe at the Old Red Lion Theatre.
Written by
Philip Ridley
Characters
Three male and two female
Date premiered
14 May 1992
Place premiered
Hampstead Theatre, London
Original language
English
Genre
In-yer-face theatre, Black Comedy
Setting
"A dilapidated room above an abandoned factory in the East End of London"
The Fastest Clock in the Universe is a two act play by Philip Ridley.[1] It was Ridley's second stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 14 May 1992 and featured Jude Law in his first paid theatre role, playing the part of Foxtrot Darling.[2] The production was the second collaboration between Ridley and director Matthew Lloyd, who would go on to direct the original productions for the majority of Ridley's plays until the year 2001.[3][4]
Like Ridley's previous play The Pitchfork Disney, The Fastest Clock was considered by some critics as shocking for its time.[5] Nevertheless the play was a major success, winning a variety of awards.[6]
The play is the second entry in Ridley's unofficially titled "East End Gothic Trilogy", preceded by The Pitchfork Disney and followed by Ghost from a Perfect Place.[7][8] Although initially receiving a generally divisive response from critics these plays have grown in reputation and have been recognised as major works in the development of In-yer-face theatre[9] which radically characterised new writing in British theatre during the 1990s.[10]
^"The Fastest Clock in the Universe (Modern Plays) Philip Ridley: Methuen Drama". Bloomsbury.com. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
^Video Interview with Jude Law from the American Theatre Wing
^CV of director Matthew Lloyd
^Review by Ian Shuttleworth of the original production of Ridley's 2000 play Vincent River directed by Matthew Lloyd
^Herbert, Ian, ed. (May 1992). "The Fastest Clock in the Universe". Theatre Record. Vol. XII, no. 10. England: Ian Herbert. pp. 610–613. ISSN 0962-1792.
^"Philip Ridley - Knight Hall Agency". knighthallagency.com.
^Rebellato, Dan (17 October 2011). "Chapter 22: Philip Ridley by Dan Rebellato". In Middeke, Martin; Paul Schnierer, Peter; Sierz, Aleks (eds.). The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights. London, Great Britain: Methuen Drama. p. 426. ISBN 9781408122785.
^Sierz, Aleks (21 October 2015). Introduction. The Pitchfork Disney. By Ridley, Philip. Modern Classics (Reissue ed.). Great Britain: Methuen Drama. pp. 1–24. ISBN 978-1-4725-1400-4.
^Rebellato, Dan (17 October 2011). "Chapter 22: Philip Ridley by Dan Rebellato". In Middeke, Martin; Paul Schnierer, Peter; Sierz, Aleks (eds.). The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights. London, Great Britain: Methuen Drama. p. 441. ISBN 9781408122785.
^Sierz, Aleks (2001). In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today. London: Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 978-0-571-20049-8. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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