Hangmen

In 1965 the death penalty, and hanging in particular, effectively ended in the United Kingdom. So what is Harry Wade, Britain’s last hangman to do? Especially when he is widely regarded as the country’s second-best executioner, after Albert Pierpoint? So begins, Martin McDonagh’s celebrated black comedy Hangmen, which is being staged by Bolton Little Theatre on 4th to 9th March 2024. Set in Harry’s grim pub in Oldham, where he holds court over a group of tatty regulars and his long-suffering wife and teenage daughter, the play opens with a young reporter seeking an interview with the hangman. Harry’s equilibrium is disturbed by the arrival of Mooney, a peculiar young cockney man. His unease increases when his despised old assistant Syd comes calling the next day, warning him about a strange visit he has recently had by a young man who knows a lot about their controversial execution of Hennessey a couple of years ago.

I am playing the part of Syd, Harry old assistant, and part-time pornographer. It’s a brilliantly written part and enjoying rehearsals a lot, not having played a major role on stage for a while. It is fun finding his accent, that variety of camp Northern nasal sound usually used by comedians like Alan Carr, but with more unhappiness and desperation.

Hangmen premiered in 2015 and went on to become a West End and Broadway hit. It has won several major awards and the original production has been broadcast by National Theatre. Its writer Martin McDonagh is probably best known for his black comedy films In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Epping, Missouri. Hangmen is a superbly written play, funny and frightening in equal measure. I hope we get a healthy audience for it.

You can buy tickets online at ticketsource.co.uk/boltonlittletheatre.