Mercury Fur

Mercury Fur
Mercury Fur imagery by Theatre Delicatessen
Written byPhilip Ridley
Characters6 male, 2 female (1 transgender female)
Date premiered10 February 2005 (2005-02-10)
Place premieredDrum Theatre, Plymouth
Original languageEnglish
GenreIn-yer-face theatre,
dystopian fiction,
science fiction
Setting"A derelict flat in a derelict estate in the East End of London."

Mercury Fur is a play written by Philip Ridley which premiered in 2005. It is Ridley's fifth adult stage play and premiered at the Plymouth Theatre Royal, before moving to the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

Set against the backdrop of a dystopian London, the narrative focuses on a party at which the torture and murder of a child is the main entertainment.

The original production was directed by John Tiffany as part of the This Other England season of new writing by Paines Plough and Theatre Royal, Plymouth in England.[1] The part of Elliot was played by Ben Whishaw, who during the previous year had achieved fame and an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Hamlet.[2][3]

The play is particularly noted for being the subject of controversy: Ridley's publisher, Faber and Faber, refused to publish the script[4] and the original production received regular walkouts from audience members[5][6] along with a generally divided and sometimes hostile response from critics.[7] Over time, Mercury Fur has generally attracted a much more positive reception, with some critics even hailing the play as a "masterpiece".[8][9][10]

The play is the first entry in Ridley's unofficially titled "Brothers Trilogy", being followed by Leaves of Glass and Piranha Heights.[11][12][13]

Ridley dedicated the play to his agent Rod Hall,[14] who was murdered in May 2004.[15] According to Ridley, the dedication was not originally made in response to Hall's death as it had been arranged some time prior to when Hall was killed.[16]

  1. ^ "Webpage of This Other England Season on the Paines Plough website". Archived from the original on 7 February 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ "My Hamlet fears". Evening Standard. 29 April 2004. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  3. ^ "OLIVIER WINNERS 2005". OfficialLondonTheatre.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  4. ^ Gardner, Lyn (9 February 2005). "The Devil Inside". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Mercury Fur webpage on Paines Plough's website". Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  6. ^ Logan, Brian (5 May 2007). "Furore and loathing". The Times. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  7. ^ Herbert, Ian, ed. (29 March 2005). "Mercury Fur". Theatre Record. Vol. XXV, no. 5. England: Ian Herbert. pp. 279–282. ISSN 0962-1792.
  8. ^ Webpage of the 2012 Mercury Fur revival on ATG Tickets
  9. ^ Ned, Bennet (11 April 2012). "Director Ned Bennett Revives Philip Ridley's Masterpiece". TheatreVoice (Interview: Audio). Interviewed by Aleks Sierz. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  10. ^ Orr, Jack (4 April 2012). "Review: Mercury Fur". A Younger Theatre. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  11. ^ Fisher, Philip. "Piranha Heights". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  12. ^ Coveney, Michael (30 May 2008). "Piranha Heights". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  13. ^ Goldman, Lisa (August 2012). The No Rules Handbook for Writers (know the rules so you can break them). Great Britain: Oberon Books Ltd. p. 185. ISBN 9781849431118.
  14. ^ Ridley, Philip (2009). Ridley Plays: 2: Vincent River; Mercury Fur; Leaves of Glass; Piranha Heights. Great Britain: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. p. 73. ISBN 9781408111161. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  15. ^ Lott, Tim (13 April 2008). "A true life murder story". The Observer. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  16. ^ Shuttleworth, Ian. "Prompt Corner 06/2005". Theatre Record. Theatre Record Limited. Retrieved 13 June 2018.