The Theatre of Philip Ridley

The Theatre of Philip Ridley is one of the first monographs dealing with Philip Ridley’s entire dramatic oeuvre, including the plays written for teenage and young adult audiences. The book’s theoretical framework convincingly suggests that Philip Ridley’s plays are aesthetic representations of accelerated globalization, urbanization, and human atrocities. It not only offers readings of all major plays written by Philip Ridley in his three decades as a major British playwright but it also delivers substantial research reports on the relevant topics informing its framework such as the relationship of theatre and globalization, social acceleration, dystopian theatre and of course on Philip Ridley’s dramatic oeuvre and impressive career. What makes The Theatre of Philip Ridley stand out is its end-to-end approach, meaning that it pays close attention to the intricate relationship between content, dramatic form, and stage aesthetics in all of its readings. Using theories like Hartmut Rosa’s social acceleration to support its view on the last three decades of globalization, the book exclusively offers a distinction between hot and cold dystopian theatre. The book’s three analytical chapters show to readers what is to be gained from this distinction and why it makes sense to approach many of Ridley’s plays with the analytical toolset provided by the idea of dystopian theatre.