London Road is set in the autumn of 2006, when the everyday life of the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women.

The residents of London Road had struggled for years with the soliciting and kerb-crawling that they frequently encountered. As Steve Wright, the occupant of No. 79, was arrested, charged and then convicted of the murders, the immediate community grappled with what it meant to be at the epicentre of this tragedy.

Adam Cork uses the melodic and rhythmic speech patterns captured on playwright Alecky Blythe’s extensive recorded interviews with the people of Ipswich to create an experimental and challenging work which reveals the ways in which even the darkest experiences can engender a greater sense of our mutual dependence.

The cast of London Road is led by Kate Fleetwood, who last performed at the National Theatre in Love’s Labour’s Lost. Fleetwood’s other stage appearances include playing Lady Macbeth to Patrick Stewart’s Macbeth, and Life Is A Dream. 

The National Theatre production of London Road is a world premiere.

For more about London Road at the National Theatre read the First Night Feature.

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