Best known for her role as Debbie Gallagher in Channel 4’s Shameless, Rebecca Ryan will bring to life Shelagh Delaney’s older than her years teenage lead Jo in A Taste of Honey at The Lowry in Salford from June 10-14.
One of the most influential plays of its generation, it was written when Shelagh Delaney, from Broughton in Salford, was only 18 and burst on to the stage in 1961 in a production that took the West End by storm and later became a classic of British cinema.
Set in Salford in 1959 A Taste of Honey follows 17-year-old Jo who is desperate to break free from her wayward mother, Helen. Jo’s instinct for survival and pursuit of happiness leads her to fall in love with Jimmy, a sailor on shore leave. Abandoned by her mother, Jo’s courage is tested yet again when Jimmy returns to sea, and she discovers she’s pregnant.
The production is the directorial debut of Mark Babych, former artistic director of the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, since he took over at Hull Truck Theatre.
You can hear an interview with director Mark Babych on the British Theatre Guide podcast.