Gavin Dent directs Justin Hopper’s new play Flutter at Soho Theatre Upstairs, a funny and vivid exploration of everyday life, seen through the lens of an independent betting shop.
South London 2006. Rose is getting tired. A former Betting Shop Manager of the year, she has seen it all. Now with the shop’s future uncertain, she must decide what to do with her life. But this is more than just a place of work, this is a meeting place, a social club, a home from home for all the disparate characters found there.
Flutter follows the lives and fortunes of the staff and customers of Grosvenor Racing, as they struggle to adapt to changes in their lives. At once comic, touching and true, Flutter is a revealing dissection of those on the periphery in this striking evocation of ordinary life within the betting industry. The play is both a love letter to the high street bookies and a look at the more urgent and destructive side of gambling.
Justin Hopper has written extensively for film, television, and radio. His screen credits include the BBC 2 television drama The Slavery Business, and the BBC 4 adaptation of M.R. James’ Number 13. Film credits include Family Planning, Beyond Redemption and House of Hammer. His radio plays for the BBC include The Greater Good (with Lesley Sharpe and Anton Lesser), The Weighting Room and Dog Days.
A life-long punter and habitué of betting shops, Flutter is Hopper’s first stage play. It was initially performed as part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2017 and received a grant from the Arts Council and Wandsworth Council as well as sponsorship from the Racing Post newspaper.
The cast includes Shango Baku (Yankee Bob), Abby Cassidy (Kelly), Richie Donaldson (Midas), Mark Keegan (Dennis), Antonia Kemi Coker (Rose), Nicken Kotak (Ajay) and Greg Snowden (Tom).
Flutter is at The Soho Theatre 11th – 16th June 2018.
