GRASSINGTON Players is staging a revival of A Rite Kwik Metal Ta-Ta, one of Yorkshire playwright David Halliwell’s darkly comic forgotten masterpieces, at The Octagon theatre in Grassington.
Stumbling upon a rich vein of his personal memorabilia, the script for A Rite Kwik Metal Ta-Ta was (re)discovered by Grassington Players’ treasurer, Robert Fort, in the archives of Leeds University’s Brotherton Library.
As work on the production got underway, Robert met with the sister of the playwright who then donated boxes from his archives including a collection of letters from countless literary contemporaries and celebrities including John Osborne, Harold Pinter, John Cleese and Brian Cox.
An influential voice in theatre circles, Halliwell wrote several TV dramas for the BBC’s Play for Today series and for the stage.
His play Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against The Eunuchs was made into a film starring John Hurt thanks to George Harrison of The Beatles securing the film rights.
An exhibition of his letters and other artefacts will be put on display by Grassington Players throughout the production run.
Despite its serious underlying themes, A Rite Kwik Metal Ta-Ta is funny and bound to strike a chord with a Yorkshire audience.
Written in 1978, and believed to have been performed only twice previously, it is set against the backdrop of ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, when the mainland bombing campaign that included the murder of 12 people in a coach on the M62 in Yorkshire featured heavily in the news.
Echoing the Sinn Fein/IRA campaign for a united Ireland, the play focuses on the activities of the fictional Yorkish Nationalist Party and the paramilitary Yorkland Liberation Army campaigning to establish an independent Yorkland in place of the subjugated Yorkshire.
Although written some 45 years ago, the themes in the play remain sadly relevant in the modern world.
Experienced director Mark Bamforth volunteered to take on leading the cast in this challenging piece and latterly has taken on the role of MP Oswin Reddington.
The cast of six includes other seasoned Grassington Players alongside newcomer Skye Wilkinson who brings previous professional expertise to the piece.
A Rite Kwik Metal Ta-Ta will be performed in the studio theatre, the Octagon at Grassington Devonshire Institute (the Town Hall) on Thursday, May 9, Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at 7.30pm. Doors and the bar open from 7pm.
Tickets at £12, concessions £8 are available online from ticketsource.co.uk or from Grassington Hub on 01756 752222.
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