''Mother Clap's Molly House'' is a 2001 play by

Mark Ravenhill Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His major plays include ''Shoppin ...

with music by Matthew Scott. It is based on an essay in the book of the same name by Rictor Norton. The play is a

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

and explores the diversity of human sexuality. It is set partly in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

of the 18th century, where the

molly house Molly-house was a term used in 18th- and 19th-century Britain for a meeting place for homosexual men. The meeting places were generally taverns, public houses, coffeehouses or even private rooms where men could either socialise or meet possible ...

of Mother Clap caters to the

gay subculture Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of people who have shared experiences, backgrounds, or interests due to common sexual or gender identities. Among the first to argue that members of sexual mi ...

, and partly in 2001, at a party organized by a group of gay men. It was first performed in September 2001 at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre. The play was directed by

Nicholas Hytner Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (; born 7 May 1956) is an English theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes as director include '' Miss Saigon'', ''T ...

, produced by

Phil Cameron Phil Cameron (born 14 November 1972) is a British entrepreneur, the founder of No.1 Traveller, and a former Tony and Olivier Award-winning theatre producer. Personal life Cameron was born on 14 November 1972 in London. He read English and Dr ...

, the sets were designed by

Giles Cadle Giles Cadle is a British set designer. He studied architecture at Kingston, followed by a postgraduate diploma in stage design at Nottingham. He has designed sets for theatre, opera and musical productions in the UK, Germany, New Zealand, and the U ...

and the costumes by Nicky Gillibrand. Among the premiere cast was

Dominic Cooper Dominic Edward Cooper (born 2 June 1978) is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances ...

References

National Theatre
2001 plays Black comedy plays LGBT-related plays Plays by Mark Ravenhill {{2000s-play-stub