A new publication of Andrea Dunbar's wickedly funny and insightful drama about two teenage girls caught between a brutal childhood and an uncompromising future

“A bleak and brilliant testament to a life of fleeting pleasure and diminished expectations … a play of sharp observation, a document of its times.” The Guardian Best friends Rita and Sue get a lift home from married Bob after babysitting his kids. When he takes the scenic route and offers them a bit of fun, the three start a fling each of them think they control. Andrea Dunbar's semi-autobiographical play, written for the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 when she was just 19, is a vivid portrait of girls caught between brutal childhood and an unpromising future, both hungry for adult adventure. Told with wicked humour, startling insight and a great ear for dialogue, Rita Sue and Bob Too offers an unwavering portrait of a world of limitations and urban desolation. Published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Katie Beswick.

"Dunbar's play is as fresh as a stiff northerly wind off the Pennines. The story is bursting with a gutsy vitality" - Evening Standard

"If you've ever known a junkie or an alkie, or felt for a second that your own life might spiral out of control, you'll recognise the mix of despair and black humour as the real thing. By the end of it, you just might feel like crying." - Guardian

"A brilliant, scabrous comedy" - Daily Mail

"The voice of writer Andrea Dunbar showcased reality using sharp humour and an even sharper social commentary." - The Mancunion