The 'Cut' and 'Product' / Modern Plays (PDF)

The Cut

Paul is an ordinary man with a shocking secret. At home, he is a loving husband and father. At work, he administers the cut. In a society sickened by his profession, Paul struggles with his conscience and longs to tell the truth.

The Cut has its world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London, on 23 February 2006, starring Ian McKellan.

Product

'I love your work, I love it. I've seen you do those turns on a sixpence....You're fabulous. And this material is going to be fabulous once it's punched up.' Amy is a hot young starlet. Now all she needs is the script which will save her from B movie hell, a script which balances artistic integrity with blockbuster bucks. Mark thinks he's got the perfect pitch - a script which combines a torrid love story with the dark spectre of terrorism and big, big explosions. If he can only persuade Amy, he's got the perfect Product.

Mark Ravenhill starred in this monologue piece when it premiered to critical acclaim at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 2005.

'Ravenhill has more to say, and says it more refreshingly and wittily, than any other playwright of his generation' Time Out

'There are few stage authors writing more interestingly than Mark Ravenhill ... He is - it is now yet more evident - a searing, intelligent, disturbing sociologist with a talent for satirical dialogue and a flair for sexual sensationalism' Financial Times

'Compelling viewing' Guardian (on The Cut at the Donmar Warehouse)