Mercury Theatre today announces the full cast for their upcoming production They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!, Deborah McAndrews’ adaptation of Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s Sottopaga? Non si paga!.
Mercury Theatre Creative Director Ryan McBryde directs Joseph Alessi (Jack), Olatunji Ayofe (Lewis), Laura Doddington (Anthea), Tesni Kujore (Maggie) and Marc Pickering (Constable/ Sergeant/Undertaker/Pops). The production opens on 22 March, with previews from 17 March, and runs until 31 March.
Creative Director Ryan McBryde today said: “We’ve assembled a crack squad of comic actors to breathe life into Dario Fo’s wild farce that not only shows you how to survive on a diet of dog food and bird seed but also guarantees a great night out. As supermarkets report a desperate shoplifting boom, this classic comedy about a spur of the moment looting feels more prescient than ever.”
The cost of living is out of control – and so is Anthea. Sick of scrimping and scraping to pay her energy bills, she starts a riot in the local supermarket resulting in a group of raging housewives looting the building.
Now, with a pile of freshly “liberated” groceries, Anthea and her best friend Maggie embark on a ludicrous, laugh-a-minute adventure, trying to keep their law-abiding husbands in the dark whilst staying two steps ahead of the crime squad.
They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! is the work of Dario Fo, Nobel Laureate and the master of farce, and his wife, Franca Rame. Deborah McAndrew’s whip-smart adaptation mixes political satire, hilarious plot twists and wise-cracking dialogue to create a thrilling play about the lengths people will go to when they’re desperate.
The theatre is a collecting point for Colchester Food Bank and will be holding collections after all performances.
They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! Is at Mercury Theatre 17 – 31 March 2023
