The Fastest Clock in the Universe | |
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Written by | Philip Ridley |
Characters | Three male and two female |
Date premiered | 14 May 1992 |
Place premiered | Hampstead Theatre, London |
Original language | English |
Genre | In-yer-face theatre, Black Comedy |
Setting | "A dilapidated room above an abandoned factory in the East End of London" |
The Fastest Clock in the Universe is a two act play by Philip Ridley.[1] It was Ridley's second stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 14 May 1992 and featured Jude Law in his first paid theatre role, playing the part of Foxtrot Darling.[2] The production was the second collaboration between Ridley and director Matthew Lloyd, who would go on to direct the original productions for the majority of Ridley's plays until the year 2001.[3][4]
Like Ridley's previous play The Pitchfork Disney, The Fastest Clock was considered by some critics as shocking for its time.[5] Nevertheless the play was a major success, winning a variety of awards.[6]
The play is the second entry in Ridley's unofficially titled "East End Gothic Trilogy", preceded by The Pitchfork Disney and followed by Ghost from a Perfect Place.[7][8] Although initially receiving a generally divisive response from critics these plays have grown in reputation and have been recognised as major works in the development of In-yer-face theatre[9] which radically characterised new writing in British theatre during the 1990s.[10]