Happy Families (play)
Encyclopedia
Happy Families is a play
written by John Godber
in 1991.
It is an autobiographical play set in Northern England
and tells the story of a boy called John and his parents Vic and Dot. It tells of the stresses and strains of growing up with his family. It tells of how he grows up through his teenage years and through to when he gets his degree. Other characters within the play include Jack and Liz (John's grandparents), Doris and Edna (John's Aunties) and Rebecca (Edna's Daughter). It is a memory play and the narrative jumps back and forth from when John was about 9 until when he graduates with a degree as a drama teacher. John Godber has described it as "humour with a touch of sadness".
It takes its name from the card game of the same name - Happy Families
.
Despite being one of Godber's least well known plays, he regards it as his favorite so far.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written by John Godber
John Godber
John Harry Godber is an English dramatist, known mainly for his observational comedies. In the 'Plays and Players Yearbook' for 1993 he was calculated as the third most performed playwright in the UK behind William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn. He has a wife and 2 children.-Biography:Godber was...
in 1991.
It is an autobiographical play set in Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
and tells the story of a boy called John and his parents Vic and Dot. It tells of the stresses and strains of growing up with his family. It tells of how he grows up through his teenage years and through to when he gets his degree. Other characters within the play include Jack and Liz (John's grandparents), Doris and Edna (John's Aunties) and Rebecca (Edna's Daughter). It is a memory play and the narrative jumps back and forth from when John was about 9 until when he graduates with a degree as a drama teacher. John Godber has described it as "humour with a touch of sadness".
It takes its name from the card game of the same name - Happy Families
Happy Families
Happy Families is a traditional card game played in the UK, usually with a specially made set of picture cards, featuring illustrations of fictional families of four, most often based on occupation types. The object of the game is to collect complete families. The player whose turn it is asks...
.
Despite being one of Godber's least well known plays, he regards it as his favorite so far.