London Road (NHB Modern Plays)

A revolutionary musical, based on the 2006 Ipswich murders, with a book by acclaimed verbatim playwright Alecky Blythe. Named Best Musical at the 2011 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.

In late 2006 the everyday life of the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women.

The residents of London Road had struggled for years with the soliciting and kerb-crawling that they frequently encountered. As Steve Wright, the occupant of No. 79, was arrested, charged and then convicted of the murders, the immediate community grappled with the media frenzy and what it meant to be at the epicentre of this tragedy.

Playwright Alecky Blythe recorded extensive interviews with the people of Ipswich. Composer Adam Cork's score is a response to the melodic and rhythmic speech patterns captured on those recordings. London Road is an experimental and challenging work which reveals the ways in which even the darkest experiences can engender a greater sense of our mutual dependence.

London Road premiered at the Cottesloe, National Theatre, London, in April 2011.

'an astonishing document about a beleaguered yet resilient community... a startling, magically original success' Evening Standard

'the most genuinely interesting and innovative new musical I've seen for ages' Michael Coveney, WhatsOnStage