Somewhere Oop North, between the town and the slag heap, exists an abstract location known only as 'Road'. Your tour guide and host is the cheerfully rum-soaked Scullery, who is more than happy to show the audience the deepest darkest depths of working-class life in Northern England circa 1986. There are several plots at work, but the enduring one follows Louise and Carol, two girls on the pull. On the way we meet a whole cast of characters including Brenda, Carol's outspoken, lecherous mother, The Professor, who's not a professor at all, Joey and Claire, two teens in a self imposed decline, and Skin Lad: He's a fucking nutter.
Written by Jim Cartwright, Road was originally performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London. It opened in New York two years later and has been adapted for television.
Provides examples of:
- The '80s
- Absent-Minded Professor: He's not really a professor, just a nosy bastard who wants to try everything.
- Addled Addict: Blowpipe
- The Alcoholic: Brenda. Scullery. Blowpipe. At the very least.
- Barefoot Poverty
- Catchphrase: 'You'll get used to me. You'd better.'
- Country Matters
- Dirty Old Man: Scullery
- Dirty Old Woman: Brenda
- Downer Ending: By the end of the play, nobody's really achieved anything.
- Dysfunction Junction
- Fight Clubbing: Skin Lad
- Go into the Light: Clare. Maybe.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Louise, Carol, Lane and Dor.
- Heel–Faith Turn
- Incest Subtext: Between Louise and her Brother.
- Ironic Nursery Tune: Chantal's way of announcing herself. Scullery sings snippets sometimes and there's a music box which plays When You Wish Upon A Star.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Molly
- Kavorka Man: Scullery gets a fair amount of attention from the ladies - although they might ask him to wash first.
- Large Ham: Scullery and Bistro
- Lotus Position: Skin Lad's actual scene begins like this
- Lower-Class Lout: Explored and deconstructed.
- My Local
- Oop North
- Phrase Catcher: SKIN-LAD! He's a fucking nutter.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: The man Helen brings home.
- Tragic Hero: Joey
- The Voice: Mrs Bald
- Wisdom from the Gutter
