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Manor
This place is about to blow. A violent storm sweeps the coast. Diana Stuckley and her daughter are struggling to keep the roof on their run-down manor house, when neighbours and strangers begin to appear on their doorstep, seeking shelter from the floods. One of these unexpected arrivals is Ted Farrier, the charismatic leader of a right-wing he could be Diana's saviour - or could pull the fragile household to pieces. Stranded together, this explosive mix of people must survive the weather, and each other.Manor by Moira Buffini premiered at the National Theatre, London, in April 2020.
- GenresPlays
166 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2021
11 people want to read
About the author
Moira Buffini
38 books184 followersMoira Buffini (born 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.
She was born in Carlisle to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths. She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.
For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide, for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams, a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008.
Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. She has been described by David Greig as a metaphysical playwright. All her plays have been published by Faber.
Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. In 2010 her film adaptation of Posy Simmon's Tamara Drewe was released followed by her adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films in 2011. The script appeared on the 2008 Brit List, a film-industry-compiled list of the best unproduced screenplays in British film. It received nine votes, putting it in second place. Buffini also adapted her play A Vampire Story for the screenplay of Neil Jordan's film Byzantium released in 2013.
She took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six for which she wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
- Wikipedia
She was born in Carlisle to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths. She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.
For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide, for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams, a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008.
Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. She has been described by David Greig as a metaphysical playwright. All her plays have been published by Faber.
Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. In 2010 her film adaptation of Posy Simmon's Tamara Drewe was released followed by her adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films in 2011. The script appeared on the 2008 Brit List, a film-industry-compiled list of the best unproduced screenplays in British film. It received nine votes, putting it in second place. Buffini also adapted her play A Vampire Story for the screenplay of Neil Jordan's film Byzantium released in 2013.
She took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six for which she wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
- Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 31, 2022
3.5, rounded down.
I love nothing better than a great play - but sometimes, just to be masochistic, I also like to ferret out plays that - for whatever reason, seem to have gone off the rails. This got almost universal pans when it opened at the National Theatre a year ago, and from the clips on YT, it did indeed seem awful (see below).
But I had read some of Buffini's earlier plays and thought them ... interesting, so gave this a chance - and to be honest - although it has some GLARING faults - I kinda liked it!! Apparently, the production itself wasn't very good (blame it on nepotism - Buffini's sister directed!) and was seemingly miscast (including casting a sighted actor in the role of blind Ruth. BOO!) - but the script itself has promise, although the apocalyptic ending is certainly problematic. My main complaint is that Ted, the far-right leader/antagonist never seems as menacing nor buffoonish as his real-life counterparts.
PS: I read this during a torrential downpour here, which seemed entirely appropriate!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jKyT...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjDpF...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ma...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/w...
https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-t...
I love nothing better than a great play - but sometimes, just to be masochistic, I also like to ferret out plays that - for whatever reason, seem to have gone off the rails. This got almost universal pans when it opened at the National Theatre a year ago, and from the clips on YT, it did indeed seem awful (see below).
But I had read some of Buffini's earlier plays and thought them ... interesting, so gave this a chance - and to be honest - although it has some GLARING faults - I kinda liked it!! Apparently, the production itself wasn't very good (blame it on nepotism - Buffini's sister directed!) and was seemingly miscast (including casting a sighted actor in the role of blind Ruth. BOO!) - but the script itself has promise, although the apocalyptic ending is certainly problematic. My main complaint is that Ted, the far-right leader/antagonist never seems as menacing nor buffoonish as his real-life counterparts.
PS: I read this during a torrential downpour here, which seemed entirely appropriate!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jKyT...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjDpF...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ma...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/w...
https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-t...
February 16, 2022
A timely exploration of the current state of affairs in the UK. I would have been fascinated to see the production of it. Not too sure about the ending!
December 6, 2021
currently on stage at the national theatre in london. interesting setting, but (too) many characters, clichéd, underdeveloped, (too) obviously used to illustrate the predictable clash of agendas - and never really coming to life. disappointing.
July 24, 2025
3.5 :)
March 21, 2022
One of my favorite actors was in the play at the National Theatre. It had mixed reviews from critics. Although the plot is one of current events and its written well, it's not one of my to read again books. It took me forever to get into it and well, had too many curse words for me. The ending was quiet different.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews