Rita, Sue and Bob Too @ Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Out of Joint's revival of Andrea Dunbar's play proves just as relevant in 2018 as it was at its premiere
“So, how was your underage sex show?” read a text received the morning after seeing Out of Joint’s revival of Rita, Sue and Bob Too. It’s true that Andrea Dunbar’s play, based on her own experiences growing up in the North of England, is most famous for its portrayal of a consensual relationship between a married man and two teenage girls.
This is a notoriety perhaps not best served by Alan Clarke’s 1987 film adaptation (which featured a very different ending to Dunbar’s original script), or by the Royal Court’s decision to cancel and then reinstate the play during its London run. That move came after allegations that Out of Joint founder Max Stafford-Clark, who was set to co-direct the production with Kate Wasserberg, had behaved inappropriately.
The play opens with the now infamous car sex scene, in which married father of two Bob (James Atherton) has sex with Rita (Taj Atwal) and Sue (Gemma Dobson), two 15-year-olds who have been babysitting his children for the evening, kicking off an affair between the three of them. The scene is comical and awkward with an underlying sense of unease, thanks to the houselights gradually turning up as the scene – and Bob himself – reaches the point of no return.
Although written in the early 80s, Rita, Sue... is just as relevant in 2018 as it was at its premiere. Dunbar’s rarely-heard working class voice tackles themes of poverty and hopelessness with razor-sharp dialogue. Her characters are also multilayered and sympathetic, and performed by a strong cast who breathe new life into each scene. While the male characters, Bob and Sue’s Dad (David Walker) are sexist and selfish – Bob is a chauvinist who repeatedly cheats on his wife Michelle (Samantha Robinson), and Sue’s Dad is a bully who threatens Sue and her mum (Sally Bankes) with violence – they are the creations of their grim environment. Out of work and unable to provide, their masculinity is threatened, and they turn to extreme behaviours to cope.
While the men are economically and ethically impotent, the women find their own ways to feel empowered. For Rita and Sue, they become involved with Bob because it’s exciting; he has a car, and he’s a distraction from the uncertainty that surrounds them. This is a play about a struggle for control in an unpredictable world and a portrait of wasted lives and lost opportunities, from a talented writer who died far too young.
Citizens Theatre, Glasgow until 17 Feb