The Ruling Class

Peter Barnes

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781474248532
• eBook ISBN:
  9781474248549
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: British Drama

Etonians aren't exactly noted for their grey matter, but I've always found them perfectly adjusted to society.

Jack, a possible paranoid schizophrenic with a Messiah complex, inherits the title of the 14th Earl of Gurney after his father passes away in a bizarre accident. Singularly unsuited to a life in the upper echelons of elite society, Jack finds himself at the centre of a ruthless power struggle as his scheming family strives to uphold their reputation.

Bubbling with acerbic wit and feverish energy, Olivier Award-winning and Oscar-nominated-writer Peter Barnes's razor-sharp satire combines a ferocious mix of hilarity and horror whilst mercilessly exposing the foibles of the English nobility.

This edition of the play is published to coincide with the first-ever revival of this classic cult comedy at the Trafalgar Studios, London, on 16 January 2015.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Contents
• Theatre's Programme Pages
• Cast
• Cast Biographies
• Creative Team Biographies
• Introduction
• The Ruling Class
• Characters
• Prologue
• Act One
• Scene One
• Scene Two
• Scene Three
• Scene Four
• Scene Five
• Scene Six
• Scene Seven
• Scene Eight
• Scene Nine
• Scene Ten
• Scene Eleven
• Scene Twelve
• Scene Thirteen
• Scene Fourteen
• Scene Fifteen
• Scene Sixteen
• Act Two
• Scene One
• Scene Two
• Scene Three
• Scene Four
• Scene Five
• Scene Six
• Scene Seven
• Scene Eight
• Scene Nine
• Scene Ten
• Scene Eleven
• Epilogue