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Love Song to Lavender Menace

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Cast your mind back to 1982 - Margaret Thatcher sends the British Fleet to the Falklands, Channel 4 comes to the living room and Prince William is born, but this play has nothing to do with all that. This play is about activism, community and fighting for acceptance with words, music, humour and heart. On Edinburgh's Forth Street, two friends Bob and Sigrid are opening their new lesbian, gay and feminist bookshop, Lavender Menace. A trailblazing venture that will become the beating heart for Edinburgh's LGBT+ community. Now on the eve of the shop's fifth birthday, sales assistants Paul and David take a look back at its origins, its importance, its celebration of queer culture, how things have changed for the better (maybe)... And straight away, the arguments begin! Love Song to Lavender Menace is a beautifully funny and moving exploration of the love and passion it takes to make something happen and the loss that is felt when you have to let it go.

88 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2017

43 people want to read

About the author

James Ley

16 books1 follower

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for sasha.
177 reviews2 followers
October 9, 2018
wow i'm so glad gays always existed and we continue to exist??? i also kinda cried when i read the introduction and i read when the time traveller came in and i need to read a few of the novels mentioned, 10/10 would see the play.
also i miss edinburgh
Profile Image for Nicolas Lontel.
1,256 reviews93 followers
July 20, 2021
Quoi ne pas aimer dans cette pièce de théâtre pour moi? Deux libraires lors de leur dernière journée avant que la (authentique) librairie écossaise Lavender Menace ne ferme. Reminiscent d'auteur·es comme James Baldwin, Jean Genet, Jeanette Winterson, Rita Mae Brown, etc. tout en parlant du climat politique anglais de l'époque, c'est à la fois un hommage aux oeuvres, au militantisme de l'époque et évidemment à la librairie.

Aussi, un des libraires est très fan de Doctor Who et ça paraît non seulement dans les nombreuses allusions plus ou moins subtiles, mais aussi dans le tissu du texte même avec l'apparition d'un·e voyageur·e / invité·e spécial·e (chaque fois différent lors des représentations) qui parle de l'importance d'un lieu similaire à la librairie pour elle/lui et d'un livre qui a énormément compté.

Une pièce de théâtre idéale pour tout libraire queer ou féministe. C'est définitivement très bien écrit, bien pensé et rempli à la perfection son rôle d'hommage plus large aux mouvements LGBTQ.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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