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Dilated Theatre Company in association with Park Theatre presents a major revival of
SUS
This show has now passed. This is a an archive page.
As relevant today as the day it was first performed, SUS is a furnace of a play that sears into the memory of those that experience it.
Set on the election night of Margaret Thatcher’s 1979 landslide victory, Delroy, a young black father, is brought into an East London Police Station on what he thinks is SUS - suspect under suspicion - the law now commonly known as Stop and Search.
Unbeknownst to him, Karn and Wilby, two white male police detectives, are tasked with drawing a confession from him for an unspeakable crime and go about it in the most brutal of ways. As the election results come in, Karn, the older of the two, is elated at the prospect of a ‘new dawn’, while Delroy is subject to the abuse and horrors of an institution oozing with racism, misogyny, corruption and brutal violence.
Keeffe's timeless play will have you questioning innocence and guilt, the nature of power and the intents of those who wield it; forty years on you'll be left asking: has anything really changed?
Dilated Theatre's inaugural production ran at the Lion and Unicorn in March of 2013 to rave reviews. Nearly ten years on, SUS is being revived at a time when it couldn't be more pertinent.
'Text, staging and cast all have to be in perfect symbiosis... the entire team have indisputably achieved that' ★★★★ The Stage
'Exceptional truthful performances, creating palpable tension and sorrow' ★★★★★ A Youngish Perspective
'SUS is a scream of rage, as relevant now as it was when it was written in 1979. This revival is excellent' ★★★★ Everything Theatre
'The script has a visceral quality undimmed by the passing years' ★★★★ Pocket Size Theatre
'Powerful acting resulting in a nerve-wracking experience that deserves to be remembered' ★★★★ The Upcoming
'Cabey as Delroy plays a full range of emotions, and the tears and anger seem to flow naturally in a superb performance' ★★★★ North West End
'This stunning revival of Keeffe’s coruscating drama about institutional racism would be a sobering period piece in an ideal world' ★★★★ Fairy Powered Productions
'Harrowing police racism drama more relevant than ever' The Guardian
'Sharp and shocking' The Reviews Hub
'The story makes us stop and reflect on what has changed in the intervening 43 years' Islington Citizen
'A confident, very timely, well performed production' British Theatre Guide
'Kept me on the edge of my seat' The British Blacklist