A divisive left-wing leader at the helm of the Labour Party. A Conservative prime minister battling with her cabinet. An identity crisis on a national scale. This is Britain 1981.
One Sunday morning, four prominent Labour politicians - Bill Rodgers, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins and David Owen - gather in private at Owen's home in Limehouse, East London. They are desperate to find a political alternative. Should they split their party, divide their loyalties, and risk betraying everything they believe in? Would they be starting afresh, or destroying forever the tradition that nurtured them?
Steve Waters' thrilling drama takes us behind closed doors to imagine the personal conflicts behind the making of political history. Limehouse premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2017, directed by Polly Findlay. It is a fictionalised account of real events, and it is not endorsed by the individuals portrayed.
'Bitterly funny... the story of the SDP is one of political history's most intriguing "what if's". Limehouse expertly adds to its mystique' - Telegraph
'Richly enjoyable... Steve Waters' deliciously well-written, quick-paced play is timely... the clash of politicians' vanities feels spot on' - Daily Mail
'A highly intelligent account of the birth of the SDP... Waters characterizes his protagonists with great clarity' - The Arts Desk
'Steve Waters sharply characterises each member of the gang and allows them a turn in the spotlight... admirably brings to life a key moment in postwar politics' - Guardian
'A smart take on the Gang of Four... political drama of intellectual heft topped with a deliciously nimble-footed humour' - Evening Standard
'Funny, serious, timely... the glory of this surprisingly moving play is that it is no cynically hopeless Thick Of It. It does not despise politicians. It gives each of this ill-assorted quartet credit for real faith and real decisions' - TheatreCat
'Intelligent and timely... fascinating contemporary parallels abound' - The Stage
Show moreA divisive left-wing leader at the helm of the Labour Party. A Conservative prime minister battling with her cabinet. An identity crisis on a national scale. This is Britain 1981.
One Sunday morning, four prominent Labour politicians - Bill Rodgers, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins and David Owen - gather in private at Owen's home in Limehouse, East London. They are desperate to find a political alternative. Should they split their party, divide their loyalties, and risk betraying everything they believe in? Would they be starting afresh, or destroying forever the tradition that nurtured them?
Steve Waters' thrilling drama takes us behind closed doors to imagine the personal conflicts behind the making of political history. Limehouse premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2017, directed by Polly Findlay. It is a fictionalised account of real events, and it is not endorsed by the individuals portrayed.
'Bitterly funny... the story of the SDP is one of political history's most intriguing "what if's". Limehouse expertly adds to its mystique' - Telegraph
'Richly enjoyable... Steve Waters' deliciously well-written, quick-paced play is timely... the clash of politicians' vanities feels spot on' - Daily Mail
'A highly intelligent account of the birth of the SDP... Waters characterizes his protagonists with great clarity' - The Arts Desk
'Steve Waters sharply characterises each member of the gang and allows them a turn in the spotlight... admirably brings to life a key moment in postwar politics' - Guardian
'A smart take on the Gang of Four... political drama of intellectual heft topped with a deliciously nimble-footed humour' - Evening Standard
'Funny, serious, timely... the glory of this surprisingly moving play is that it is no cynically hopeless Thick Of It. It does not despise politicians. It gives each of this ill-assorted quartet credit for real faith and real decisions' - TheatreCat
'Intelligent and timely... fascinating contemporary parallels abound' - The Stage
Show moreSteve Waters is a playwright whose plays include: The Last King of
Scotland, adapted from the novel by Giles Foden (Sheffield
Theatres, 2019); Limehouse (Donmar Warehouse, 2017); Temple (Donmar
Warehouse, 2015); Why Can't We Live Together? (Menagerie
Theatre/Soho/Theatre503, 2013); Europa, as co-author (Birmingham
Repertory Theatre/Dresden State Theatre/Teatr Polski
Bydgoszcz/Zagreb Youth Theatre, 2013); Ignorance/Jahiliyyah
(Hampstead Downstairs, 2012); Little Platoons (Bush Theatre, 2011);
The Contingency Plan (Bush Theatre, 2009; revived in a new version
at Sheffield Theatres, 2022); Fast Labour (Hampstead, in
association with West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2008); Out of Your
Knowledge (Menagerie Theatre/ Pleasance, Edinburgh/East Anglian
tour, 2006-8); World Music (Sheffield Crucible, 2003, and
subsequent transfer to the Donmar Warehouse, 2004); The Unthinkable
(Sheffield Crucible, 2004); After the Gods (Hampstead Theatre,
2002); and English Journeys (Hampstead Theatre, 1998).
His writing for television and radio includes Safe House (BBC4),
The Air Gap, The Moderniser (BBC Radio 4), Scribblers and Bretton
Woods (BBC Radio 3).
He ran the MPhil in Playwriting at Birmingham University between
2006 and 2011, and is now Professor of Scriptwriting at the
University of East Anglia, where he convenes the MA in Creative
Writing: Scriptwriting programme. He is the author of The Secret
Life of Plays, published by Nick Hern Books.
'Bitterly funny... the story of the SDP is one of political
history's most intriguing "what if's". Limehouse expertly adds to
its mystique'
*Telegraph*
'Richly enjoyable… Steve Waters' deliciously well-written,
quick-paced play is timely… the clash of politicians' vanities
feels spot on'
*Daily Mail*
'A highly intelligent account of the birth of the SDP… Waters
characterizes his protagonists with great clarity'
*The Arts Desk*
'Steve Waters sharply characterises each member of the gang and
allows them a turn in the spotlight… admirably brings to life a key
moment in postwar politics'
*Guardian*
'A smart take on the Gang of Four… political drama of intellectual
heft topped with a deliciously nimble-footed humour'
*Evening Standard*
'Funny, serious, timely… the glory of this surprisingly moving play
is that it is no cynically hopeless Thick Of It. It does not
despise politicians. It gives each of this ill-assorted quartet
credit for real faith and real decisions'
*TheatreCat*
'Intelligent and timely… fascinating contemporary parallels
abound'
*The Stage*
'What starts as a thought-experiment evolves into a compelling
political debate about the heart and soul of the British left… it's
all so bloody brilliant. Smart, slick, sophisticated, and steeped
in political history with a refreshing lack of grandeur'
*Exeunt Magazine*
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