Description

M11 (20s, 30s, 50s) F9 (16, 20s, 40s), may be played by M6 F5. Various interior and exterior settings. Period 1968-1990

Rock 'N' Roll spans the years from 1968 to 1990  from the double perspective of Prague, where a rock 'n' roll band comes to symbolize resistance to the Communist regime, and of Cambridge where the verities of love and death are shaping the lives of three generations in the family of a Marxist philosopher.

"The remarkable thing about the play is that it touches on so many themes, registers its lament at the erosion of freedom in our society and yet leaves you cheered by its wit, bouyancy and belief in the human spirit." The Guardian

The characters age 22 years during the course of the play. The Piper. Esme: a flower child of the 60s; 16. Jan: 29-50s; Max: a bruiser; 51-70s. Eleanor: also plays Esme in Act II; late 40s. Gillian: student. Interrogator: middle-ranking bureaucrat; youngish. Ferdinand: 29-50s. Milan. Magda: young. Policeman 1. Policeman 2. Nigel: journalist; 30-50s. Lenka: 29-50s. Alice: played by the same actress who plays Esme in Act I; 16. Stephen: 20s. Candida: self-made, attractive; 40. Pupil.

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