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BALL BOYS by David Edgar
Venue: The Britannia Richmond 1981
Company: Richmond Shakespeare Society
Directed by Robin McNeil



Cast
Rupert Francis Abbott
One-Eye David Kay
Sven Peter Richards

Review
The Stage: Anon
Extract from a review of the play staged at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 1982

The basic theme of David Edgar’s hilarious but thought-provoking play, Ball Boys, is revolution. Much of what it says has been said before so often that for many it has lost its intended impact, but this play rekindles one’s interest by the very originality of its context and target. It takes place in the ball-boys’ locker room at Wimbledon where its two occupants, Rupert and One-Eye, angrily discuss their outrageous treatment on court at the hands of the temperamental so-called superstars, a ruthless breed whose dominance of the public through the media they see as a greater menace than class. They plan and eventually execute a horrible revenge against one of their tormentors, Sven, an arrogant and self-opinionated Scandinavian tennis-star. David Edgar’s dialogue bristles with broad humour and savagery.