Modern Plays

Coming-of-age drama with sideways glance at evangelical and Sapphic love

''I mean, the fact that Jesus chose to turn the water into wine, rather than just decontaminating it, proves that drinking alcohol is not a sin.''

Fourteen-year-old Laney arrives in Oxford, Mississippi, an outsider with a twisted back and only her writing to keep her company. When she befriends the hapless born-again Maribel, Laney''s penchant for story-telling soon spirals out of control. A hilarious chain of events is set in motion, sparking a spiritual and sexual journey that infuriates her mother and threatens to tear their fragile world apart.

A gloriously sideways glance at evangelical and Sapphic love way down south, Crooked premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, 3 May 2006.

''a work of warped loveliness, directed with exquisite delicacy and acted with tenderness and wit . . . Gorgeous almost beyond belief.'' Times

''a play of immense psychological shrewdness'' Guardian

''delicious satirical naughtiness'' Independent on Sunday