Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile

The Beacon, Buttershaw 1990. Andrea Dunbar, acclaimed writer of Rita, Sue, and Bob Too, mum, sister, best friend, is struggling with her latest work. Her aching head is full of voices, stories from her past which have to be heard.

Adelle Stripe’s ?outstanding debut novel’ of Andrea Dunbar’s life is adapted for the stage by Lisa Holdsworth (Ackerly Bridge, Call the Midwife). Best known for her classic black comedy Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Dunbar wrote three plays before dying at a tragically young age. This new portrayal features a cast of real and imagined characters set against the backdrop of the infamous Buttershaw estate during the Thatcher era. A bittersweet tale of the north / south divide, it reveals how a shy teenage girl defied the circumstances into which she was born and went on to become one of her generation’s greatest dramatists. Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile is a poignant piece of kitchen sink noir that tells Dunbar’s compelling story.

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