Fracked! is a provocative new comedy by Alistair Beaton, well known for political satire including Spitting Image and his Bafta-nominated TV play, The Trial of Tony Blair. Running at the Arts Theatre from 22-27 May, the production sees retired academic Elizabeth, played by Last Tango in Halifax’s Anne Reid, and her bad-tempered husband Jack take on an energy company as they seek permission to start fracking in the couple’s idyllic English village.
As the campaign goes viral, Elizabeth finds herself a big hit on social media, while Jack longs for the quiet life… A real play for our times, contrasting the priorities of rural retirees with the more global issues of the future of planetary energy, Fracked! has lots of laughs with a tough core of political relevance.