''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' is a two act play by Philip Ridley. It was Ridley's second stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 14 May 1992 and featured

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

in his first paid theatre role, playing the part of Foxtrot Darling. The production was the second collaboration between Ridley and director Matthew Lloyd, who would go on to direct the original productions for the majority of Ridley's plays until the year 2001. Like Ridley's previous play ''

The Pitchfork Disney ''The Pitchfork Disney'' is a 1991 stage play by Philip Ridley. It was his first professional stage work, having also produced work as a visual artist, novelist, filmmaker, and scriptwriter for film and radio. The play premiered at the Bush Theat ...

'', ''The Fastest Clock'' was considered by some critics as shocking for its time. Nevertheless the play was a major success, winning a variety of awards. The play is the second entry in Ridley's unofficially titled "East End Gothic Trilogy", preceded by ''

'' and followed by ''

Ghost from a Perfect Place ''Ghost from a Perfect Place'' is a two act play by Philip Ridley. It was Ridley's third stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 7 April 1994. The part of Travis Flood was played by the veteran, classical actor John Wood, for ...

''. Although initially receiving a generally divisive response from critics these plays have grown in reputation and have been recognised as major works in the development of

In-yer-face theatre In-yer-face theatre is a term used to describe a confrontational style and sensibility of drama that emerged in Great Britain in the 1990s. This term was borrowed by British theatre critic Aleks Sierz as the title of his book, ''In-Yer-Face Theat ...

which radically characterised new writing in British theatre during the 1990s.

Story

In a flat above an abandoned fur factory in the East End of London lives Cougar Glass. He is thirty years old and obsessed with his self-image, doing all he can to appear young. He lives with his partner Captain Tock who he often makes wait on him, much to the Captain's dismay. As Cougar has an intense fear of ageing he regularly holds birthday parties where he pretends to be only nineteen years of age. He also uses these parties to invite young people whom he has falsely befriended to his flat, to seduce (and possibly even murder) them for his own pleasure. The victim of today's party is Foxtrot Darling, a 15 year-old schoolchild who Cougar has manipulated by becoming a new role model for him in wake of his brother's death. However, when Foxtrot arrives he has unexpectedly brought along Sherbet Gravel, a streetwise 17 year-old girl who is planning to become Foxtrot's wife and claims to be pregnant with his child. As the play progresses the atmosphere gradually intensifies as Sherbet takes control of the party, aware that Cougar is not what he appears to be.

Characters

Cougar Glass - A thirty year old man, he appears to be very narcissistic, caring little about others and instead being fixated with his own appearance. He also becomes hysterical and feels physically ill whenever he is reminded of his real age. Captain Tock - A heavily balding 49 year old man. He has a job running an antique shop and has an obsession with birds. He is very wary of his health, taking vitamins and refraining from eating unhealthy food. Foxtrot Darling - A 15 year-old school child. He has found a new role model in Cougar after the loss of his brother. Sherbet Gravel - A streetwise 17 year old girl. She originally was the girlfriend of Foxtrot's brother until his death. She since has become Foxtrot's girlfriend and claims to be pregnant with his child. She yearns to have a more normal life, having previously been involved with gangs. Cheetah Bee - 88 years of age, she is the landlady as her husband owned the fur factory below years before. Whenever Cougar gets distressed from being reminded of his real age she arrives and coaxes him by showing how old and unattractive she is by comparison.

Meaning behind the names of the characters

Ridley has explained the meaning behind the characters' names saying that "all the names in the play can be read as kind of like nicknames" and that the "names are very true for me. You just have to ‘unlock’ them a little bit. So, on the surface of it, the name Cougar Glass may seem a bit...extreme. But ‘Cougar’ is quite clearly a nick-name, a reflection of the character’s predatory sexual nature."Archived interview with Philip Ridley on the website on the Old Red Lion's production of ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe''
/ref> "I doubt whether he was christened ‘Cougar’ ��And actually I wrote the play before ‘Cougar’ was used as kind of as a term for predatory kind of elder women ��I was thinking of it like that but it wasn’t in common parlance sthe word ‘Cougar’ wasn’t used at that time". " ithCheetah B...well, I think she got it because of her love of fur. Maybe she never actually wore a coat made of cheetah skin, but she could have done. Or perhaps yearned for one. Either way, as the wife of a furrier, the name stuck. ��East London council estates are full of fifteen year old mothers calling their babies ‘Kitten’ and ‘Tinsel’ and ‘Honeysuckle’, so I don’t find it bizarre at all that Sherbet ended up with a name like that at all. And ‘Foxtrot’ – that’s what he uses on the Internet. F for...Foxtrot. So his real name, whatever it might be, begins with ‘F’ and has become Foxtrot. And as for Captain Tock – well, I think that’s the name of his shop."

Development

Ridley has stated that he had already started formulating ideas for ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' during the original production of his previous play ''The Pitchfork Disney''. Ridley has said that he was partially inspired in writing the play by what he felt at the time was " newkind of male vanity that was really coming to the foreground... where men were beginning to... promote themselves as sexual objects... Men were kind of almost like saying ‘We can have it all now... We can have the girls fancying us and we can have men fancying us. We can have just whatever we like.’ There was this kind of strange... polysexuality that was kind of running through everything... That as a kind of character thing fascinated me... This kind of cult of physical perfection was something that I thought had... something that was really theatrical." Ridley particularly was intrigued by how this new form of masculinity he observed contrasted to how his father’s generation perceived masculinity. Ridley has acknowledged that the play was partially influenced by the work of

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...

. Another influence was

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's '' The Picture of Dorian Gray'', with a stage version of Wilde’s story being the last production that Ridley had directed while a student at

St Martins School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...

. In 2013 Ridley stated that he initially was "not conscious" of these influences while composing the play but that "looking back and reading the play now, I can see ''Dorian Gray'' and Orton running through it like…

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

through a stick of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. It’s kind of there all the way through." He also has stated that the recurring imagery of birds was influenced by the artist Max Ernst, particularly "those kind of Victorian collages that he did with kind of women with bird’s heads. And he was using birds there as a symbol of sexual suppression, of showing no sexual emotion at all." Other influences were

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, Francis Bacon,

Jacobean theatre English Renaissance theatre, also known as Renaissance English theatre and Elizabethan theatre, refers to the theatre of England between 1558 and 1642. This is the style of the plays of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson ...

, and Brian De Palma's

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

’s ''

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

'', with Ridley saying "what he playshares with ''Carrie''... is that you sort of know where it’s heading. You know... that it’s going to end with blood... So how it’s going to end is not really what this play is about. It’s the journey it’s going to take to get there". Regarding the play’s numerous influences Ridley has said "It’s the only play in which I’ve done... herethe play itself is like this junk shop... in which all the kind of scrapbook ideas I’ve been playing around with have been thrown in... It’s almost like I could do an annotated version of the script hereevery line would have a little asterisk by it... connecting it to something else... of where this idea came from... It’s the only play in which I’ve consciously done that, but all these references ndallusions to other things it’s making... is part of that kind of shimmering kaleidoscop cidea on top of idea world that it is." The title of the play might have been named after an episode of the BBC astronomy documentary television programme ''

The Sky at Night ''The Sky at Night'' is a monthly documentary television programme on astronomy produced by the BBC. The show had the same permanent presenter, Sir Patrick Moore, from its first broadcast on 24 April 1957 until 7 January 2013. The latter date ...

'' titled "The Fastest Clocks in the Universe" which was broadcast in 1991 and was about millisecond pulsars. Ridley dedicated the play to his friend and fellow visual artist Dominic Vianney Murphy who studied with him at St Martins School of Art.

Reception and legacy

Initial reception

For its premiere production ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' generally received positive reviews for its acting and direction but was met with more varied critical response for its writing. Some critics (like with Ridley’s previous drama ''

'') felt that the play was excessively harsh and gruesome. '' The Times''’s critic Benedict Nightingale wrote that "To say that Philip Ridley has a bilious imagination is to understate the intensity of the affliction. A sickbag should be kept in the wings, ready to catch the ugly imagery his characters sporadically throw up." Writing for '' The Independent'', Rhoda Koenig commented that the play’s "explicit descriptions of animal torture transgress the limits of the bearable" and that the play’s climax was "shocking without being moving". ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

''’s critic John Peter wrote that ''The Fastest Clock'' was "a sadistic and boring little play which should never have been put on." Many critics compared ''Fastest Clock'' to the plays of

and

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...

(especially '' The Birthday Party''). These comparisons were not always favourable: John Peter described the play’s writing as "flashy and erratic: people's vocabularies keep getting out of synch with who they are, but without either the impudent panache of Orton or the psychological insight of Pinter. But really, it seems cruel even to mention such names." Whilst acknowledging the similarities between ''Fastest Clock'' and works by other writers, some critics felt that Ridley’s script had unique qualities that made it stand on its own merits. Despite feeling that the writing had a "lack of Orton's delicacy", Rhoda Koenig wrote that "the play owes a lot to Joe Orton, but idleyhas plenty of talent of his own in the bank." Similarly, '' The Guardian'' critic Michael Billington wrote that the play has "a whiff of Orton, a touch of Hackney baroque but the voice that emerges is Mr Ridley's unnerving own". Various critics felt that the play lacked enough realism. David Murray for '' The Financial Times'' wrote that "

he actors He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

all give the play a grounding in a plausible East End reality which Ridley's text barely suggests, dreamily abstract as it often is." This was particularly noted by critics in regards to the characters’ names, with Benedict Nightingale writing that "the preposterous names… have the predictable effect of subverting the author's attempts to be serious" and

John Gross John Gross FRSL (12 March 1935 – 10 January 2011) was an eminent English man of letters. A leading intellectual, writer, anthologist, and critic, ''The Guardian'' (in a tribute titled "My Hero") and ''The Spectator'' were among several pub ...

of '' The Sunday Telegraph'' writing that "When you know the names of the characters… you know the wors thing about he play. However, some critics felt that the play was at once heightened and grounded, with Benedict Nightingale describing the production as being on the "cusp between cartoon and reality" and

Kate Kellaway Kate Kellaway (born 15 July 1957) is an English journalist and literary critic who writes for ''The Observer''. Early life The daughter of the Australians Bill and Deborah Kellaway, she is the older sister of the journalist Lucy Kellaway. B ...

writing in '' The Observer'' that " idleyhas an astonishingly cool, brazen way of drawing attention to improbability while at the same time – against the odds – preserving a sense of reality." The play was also criticised for lacking depth, with ''What’s On'' saying that "there’s no mistaking the lay has thelightness of insight of a Hammer horror. If still waters run deep, this is all surface ripple." Although generally enthusiastic about the play, Kate Kellaway wrote that "The problem – for me – about this expertly directed, superbly acted, finely written play is simply its subject. It doesn't go deep because it's obsessed with surface; it's hollow and vain because it's about vanity and emptiness – and it's unforgiving." Despite these criticisms Ridley’s writing drew praise from various critics. Michael Billington declared that "''The Fastest Clock in The Universe'' is much the best new play Hampstead Theatre has discovered in a long while… A play of such talented oddness." Kate Kellaway wrote that "You scarcely notice time pass at Hampstead Theatre… Philip Ridley is a marvellous writer… His talents are perfectly suited to the theatre. The form of ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' is admirable; Ridley has an exact sense of timing; there is no slack writing." Rhoda Koenig commented that "Ridley expertly conveys the humour and tension of this wretched gathering", with similar praise coming from John Gross "there can be no denying idley’scomic gift" and ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

''’s James Christopher "Ridley displays a masterful handling of psychological tension… Nasty gripping stuff." Despite feeling that the play "is not quite as special as ''Pitchfork Disney''" Ian Herbert of '' Theatre Record'' wrote that "it shows Ridley to be more than a one-hit wonder, a distinctive, disturbing voice that effortlessly mixes

guignol Guignol () is the main character in a French puppet show which has come to bear his name. It represents the workers in the silk industry of France. Although often thought of as children's entertainment, Guignol's sharp wit and linguistic verve ha ...

and gags. It is a pleasure to spend time in Mr Ridley's weird world." Although feeling that the play "at once rivets and disappoints"

Ian Shuttleworth Terence Ian Shuttleworth (born 6 July 1963 in Belfast, UK) is a Northern Irish theatre critic and author. He was joint senior theatre critic for the ''Financial Times'' from May 2007 until March 2019. He was editor and publisher of ''Theatre Recor ...

in his review for ''

City Limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...

'' recognised that the play could grow to be an influential work, writing that the play was "Worth investigating, but less for the spasmodic glitter of the play itself than for the continuing intimations of what may well be to come."

Legacy

Despite the varied critical reviews the play won multiple awards: Ridley was made recipient of both the Evening Standard and the Critics' Circle awards for 'most promising playwright'. The play was one of the winners of the 7th annual Time Out fringe awards. Ridley also received The

Meyer-Whitworth Award The Meyer-Whitworth Award was a literary prize established in 1991 and awarded from 1992 until 2011 to new British playwrights to help them further their careers. The £10,000 prize, one of the largest annual prizes for play writing in the UK, was ...

, for which the playwright

David Hare David Hare may refer to: *David Hare (philanthropist) (1775–1842), Scottish philanthropist *David Hare (artist) (1917–1992), American sculptor and photographer *David Hare (playwright) (born 1947), English playwright and theatre and film direc ...

in his introduction at the prize giving ceremony described the play as "an absorbing, very funny play which shows great promise of a fast developing new stage writing talent". The director

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...

cited the play as being among his favourite theatre productions he had seen in 1992, saying that "I thought Philip Ridley's The Fastest Clock in the Universe… was outstanding". An extract from the play was featured in the book ''Live 3: Critical Mass'', which was published in 1996. The book is a compilation of extracts from various plays, "bringing together a wide variety of contemporary theatre texts by some of the emerging authors who are helping to reshape the nature of British theatre." ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' (along with Ridley's other plays in his so-called "East End Gothic Trilogy") grew in reputation years after its initial premiere as an important work in the development of

in-yer-face theatre In-yer-face theatre is a term used to describe a confrontational style and sensibility of drama that emerged in Great Britain in the 1990s. This term was borrowed by British theatre critic Aleks Sierz as the title of his book, ''In-Yer-Face Theat ...

. In 2009 The Hampstead Theatre revived the play as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations where it was advertised as being "now regarded as a contemporary classic".Archived Web-page of the 2009 production of The Fastest Clock in the Universe on The Hampstead Theatre Website
/ref> In his review of the revival,

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

critic Robert Shore wrote "It was Philip Ridley who, perhaps more than any other playwright, launched the visceral 1990s in-yer-face theatre movement, and it was this award-winning play, written in his signature 'barbaric beauty' style and premiered at Hampstead in 1992, that got the ball rolling." The play was featured in a list of 100 of the "best and most influential plays" performed in Britain from 1945 - 2010 in the book ''Played in Britain: Modern Theatre in 100 Plays''. The book was written by Kate Dorney and Frances Gray in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum and was also made into an iPad app that was released in 2012. Both featured a short examination of ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' along with photographs of the play's premiere production. The 2013 revival of the play at The Old Red Lion Theatre was filmed for the V&A's

National Video Archive of Performance The National Video Archive of Performance is a film and video archive in London, England which holds recordings of stage performances. In 1992 the Theatre Museum, a branch museum of the Victoria & Albert Museum, began recording stage performance in ...

.Web-page of the 2013 London production of ''The Fastest Clock in the Universe'' on TREMers production company website
/ref>

Notable productions

World Premiere (London, 1992) 14 May 1992 at Hampstead Theatre, London. Directed by Mathew Lloyd. *Cougar Glass - Con O'Neill *Captain Tock - Jonathan Coy *Foxtrot Darling -

*Sherbert Gravel - Emma Amos *Cheetah Bee - Elizabeth Bradley American Premiere (New York, Off-Broadway, 1998) April 28 – May 23, 1998 at INTAR Theater, New York. Performed by The New Group and directed by

Jo Bonney Jo Bonney is an American theater director who has worked Off-Broadway, regionally and internationally, primarily focused on the development of new plays. Early life and education Bonney was born in Australia. She attended Sydney University befor ...

. *Cougar Glass - Bray Poor *Captain Tock - David Cale *Foxtrot Darling - Joey Kern *Sherbert Gravel - Ellie Mae McNulty *Cheetah Bee - Jeanette Landis West Coast Premiere (Celebration Theatre's 25th Anniversary Season) October 12 – November 18, 2007 at

Celebration Theatre The Celebration Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company in Los Angeles, founded in 1982. The company is located in West Hollywood, on the west end of Theatre Row, and specializes in works representing the LGBTQ+ experience. History C ...

, Los Angeles. Directed by Lynn Ann Ann Bernatowicz. * Cougar Glass - Justin Shilton * Captain Tock - Christopher Snell * Foxtrot Darling - Nick Endres * Sherbert Gravel - Tuffet Schmelzle * Cheetah Bee - Francesca Casale Nominated for best 'Featured Actress in a Play' at the

2008 Ovation Awards The nominees for the 2008 Ovation Awards were announced on September 22, 2008. The awards were presented for excellence in stage productions in the Los Angeles area from September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008 based upon evaluations from members ...

for Francesca Casale's performance as Cheetah Bee.
Nominated for best 'Supporting Female Performance' at the 29th L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards for Tuffet Schmeltzle's performance as Sherbert Gravel.
Nominated for the best 'Performance in a (Primarily) Straight Play' at the 2008 Back Stage West Garland Awards for Francesca Casale's performance as Cheetah Bee.
Nominated for the best 'Scenic Design' at the 2008 Back Stage West Garland Awards for designer Casey Hayes. 2009 Revival (Hampstead Theatre 50th Anniversary Celebrations) 22 September – 17 October 2009 at Hampstead Theatre, London. 21 October – 14 November

Curve Theatre, Leicester The Curve Theatre is a theatre in Leicester, England, based in the cultural quarter in Leicester City Centre. Before being named ''Curve'', it was referred to as ''Leicester Performing Arts Centre''. It is adjacent to the Leicester Athena confer ...

. Directed by

Edward Dick Edward Dick is a British theatre director. Biography He graduated from Oxford University in 2001 and trained as Declan Donnellan's assistant at Cheek by Jowl. He has directed productions, most notably of plays by Shakespeare, in theatres around ...

. *Cougar Glass -

Alec Newman Alec Newman (born 27 November 1974) is a Scottish actor best known for portraying Paul Atreides in the Sci Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries adaptation of Frank Herbert's ''Dune''. Early life Newman was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father is San ...

*Captain Tock -

Finbar Lynch Finbar Lynch (born 28 August 1959) is an Irish actor. Early life Lynch was born in Dublin, and at the age of 11, moved with his family to the village of Inverin, County Galway where his father ran a clothing factory under a scheme to encourage ...

*Foxtrot Darling - Neet Mohan *Sherbert Gravel - Jaime Winstone *Cheetah Bee - Eileen Page 2013 London Revival (21st Anniversary Production) 5 – 30 November 2013 at the Old Red Lion Theatre, London. Presented by TREMers in association with Dréim Productions. Directed by Tom O'Brien. *Cougar Glass - Joshua Blake *Captain Tock - Ian Houghton *Foxtrot Darling - Dylan Llewellyn *Sherbert Gravel - Nancy Sullivan *Cheetah Bee -

Ania Marson Ania Marson (born 22 May 1949 in Gdynia, Poland) is an Anglo-Polish actress. Biography She was trained at the famed Corona Stage Academy and began her career in 1963 in the famous series ''Dixon of Dock Green'', then in 1960, in other series l ...

Awards

* 1993 - The

* 1992 - A

Award * 1992 - Critics' Circle Theatre Award for most promising playwright * 1992 - Evening Standard Award for most promising playwright

References

External links

TheatreVOICE special: full-length programme about Philip Ridley’s The Fastest Clock in the Universe

Audio interview with Philip Ridley on 'Out in South London: LGBT Magazine Show' in 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fastest Clock in the Universe Plays by Philip Ridley 1992 plays Plays set in London