London's Lyric Hammersmith is to revive Mark Ravenhill's debut play, Shopping and F***ing, first seen at the Royal Court in 1996, beginning performances October 7 prior to an official opening October 12, for a run through November 5.
It will be directed by the Lyric's artistic director, Sean Holmes, who in a press statement commented, “It's a privilege and a delight to stage the 20th anniversary production of Mark Ravenhill's prophetic play. What is the internet now if it isn’t shopping and fucking?”
The play follows three disconnected young adults whose lives have been reduced to a series of transactions in an emotionally shrink-wrapped world. A place where shopping is sexy and fucking is a job. The Lyric's main house will be transformed for this production with part of the audience seated on the stage.
In a press statement, Ravenhill commented, “I've enjoyed a long and fulfilling association with the Lyric - Faust Is Dead (1997), Handbag (1998), Pool (2005), Show 6 (2015) for the Lyric’s Secret Theatre - and so it’s very exciting that they are reviving my first play Shopping and Fucking, twenty years after it premiered. I'm looking forward to seeing what a new generation of theatre audiences make of the play.”
Casting is still to be announced. The production will be designed by Jon Bausor and Tal Rosner, with costumes by Grace Smart and lighting by Anna Watson.
To book tickets, visit lyric.co.uk.