''Up 'n' Under'' is a comedy by English playwright
John Godber
John Harry Godber (born 18 May 1956) is an English playwright, known mainly for observational comedy, observational comedies. The ''Plays and Players Yearbook'' of 1993 rated him the third most performed playwright in the UK after William Shak ...
, first staged at the
Hull Truck Theatre in 1984. It won The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy that same year. The sequel, ''Up 'n' Under II'', followed in 1985.
Plot
It followed the story of an inept pub team from the Wheatsheaf Arms pub in a
rugby league sevens competition in
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...
in England. Ex-pro Arthur's only passions in life are his wife and rugby league. When he hears about the 'Cobblers Arms' pub team and their corrupt manager, Arthur bets his life savings with Reg Welch that he can train any team to beat them.
However, the 'Wheatsheaf Arms' can only muster a side of four whose pride lies in their unbroken record of defeat. The pitifully unfit set of men have to accept the help of a coach, who just happens to be a woman.
They have to struggle through adversity, come up triumphant and become a team. They are given a bye to the final of the competition where they have to play The Cobblers.
Up 'n' Under II
The sequel to the original play is centred on the return match between the amateur rugby league team from the 'Wheatsheaf Arms' and the 'Cobblers Arms'.
Film adaptation
Godber scripted and directed the film adaptation in 1997 with
Samantha Janus,
Gary Olsen,
Ralph Brown,
Neil Morrissey
Neil Anthony Morrissey (born 4 July 1962) is an English actor, businessman, narrator, and television presenter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Rocky in ''Boon (TV series), Boon'', and Tony in ''Men Behaving Badly''. Other notable acti ...
,
Richard Ridings,
Tony Slattery,
Brian Glover
Brian Glover (2 April 1934 – 24 July 1997) was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His ...
,
David MacCreedy
David MacCreedy (born 11 February 1969) is an English film, television and theatre actor, as well as being a director and film producer. He is best known for his role as Corporal Pete Polson in the TV series '' All Quiet on the Preston Front'' a ...
,
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh actor, comedian, writer and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. He and Smith came to national attention in the 1980s for ...
,
John Thomson,
Susan Tully
Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is a British retired actress, television producer, and television director from London.
Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single m ...
, and
Iain Rogerson
Iain Rogerson (October 1960 – 13 October 2017) was a British actor, best known for his portrayal of Harry Flagg on ITV's ''Coronation Street'' between 2002 and 2004. His other television appearances included ''Emmerdale'', ''Doctors'', ' ...
. The film was shot in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, Wales.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Up 'N' Under
1984 plays
Comedy plays
Plays by John Godber
Laurence Olivier Award–winning plays
West End plays
Plays about sport
Rugby league mass media