MARY CONWAY applauds the revival of a tense, and extremely funny, study of men, money and playing cards
Machine for living
LYNNE WALSH swoons over a remarkable musical that charts the changing occupiers of a brutalist block in Sheffield
SHEFFIELD HIGH-RISE: The cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge
MEHDI ACHOUCHE explores the constant fascination of cinema with Marxist alienation from Fritz Lang and Chaplin to Bong Joon Ho
FIONA O’CONNOR steps warily through a novel that skewers many of the exposed flanks of the over-privileged
MARY CONWAY applauds the study of a dysfunctional family set in an Ireland that could be anywhere
MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
Standing at the Sky's Edge
Gillian Lynne Theatre
THERE is such joy in this piece that it’s possible to get carried away by the sheer optimism and exuberance of it. That makes the concomitant howl of despair all the harder to bear.
This award-winning musical, with songs from the genius of modern-day bard Richard Hawley, spans six decades. The post-war years of the 1950s bring irrepressible hope that working-class folk are to be rewarded with better lives, in the form of swish new flats, in their “streets in the sky.”
Loving couple Rose (Rachael Wooding, a breathtaking talent) and Harry (Joel Harper-Jackson, in a sensitive portrayal of a broken man) frolic in their new space: Sheffield’s Park Hill estate, a 1,000-flat complex, inspired by the brutalist work of architect Le Corbusier. Their slum days are over, there are all mod cons to enjoy, a blissful married life beckons, with Harry boasting he will be the youngest foreman at the steelworks.
More from this author
LYNNE WALSH previews the Bristol Radical History Conference this weekend
With most of recorded history dominated by the voices of men, LYNNE WALSH encourages sisters to read the memoirs of women – and to write their own too
LYNNE WALSH attempts to unravel the latest advice from local authorities on tackling violence against women and girls
Anti-fascists from around the world will soon be travelling to Spain to commemorate the International Brigades and walk in the footsteps of the bravest of their generation, writes LYNNE WALSH
