Sus has technically been consigned to the historical past books, however was as soon as synonymous with racial tensions between the police and native communities. It was ultimately repealed by the Criminal Attempts Act 1981. Sus (derived from ‘Suspect Under Suspicion’) was the legislation that permitted a police officer to cease, search and doubtlessly arrest an individual in breach of the Vagrancy Act 1824. Despite its repeal, there are trendy echoes within the cease and search provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. A contact of legalese is necessary to know why this 1979 play by Barrie Keeffe continues to be necessary and related as we speak.
Its election night time: third May 1979 and Margaret Thatcher is on the edge of a landslide victory. The police station is in a state of frenzy as DS Karn (Alexander Neal) contemplates a brand new social panorama. His keen junior officer DC Wilby (Fergal Coghlan) is excitedly relaying updates by way of the employees canteen. However, they’ve the distraction of a suspicious dying on their patch. Karn and Wilby have made their minds up and pull in luckless underdog Delroy (Stedroy Cabey) for questioning. It’s not the primary time he is been detained by the police and is unfazed by this newest ‘collar’. However, devastating information turns this sport of cat and mouse into one thing extra sinister.
Here we have now a play that was up to date when it was written and a interval drama in revival. It feels authentically Seventies, from the ill-fitting fits to £1 notes and a wall-mounted dial-faced phone. It might simply be a scene from the Sweeney or Z Cars however isn’t any much less highly effective and nonetheless packs a punch. The points raised by SUS are as topical now as they have been 40 years in the past. The script has a visceral high quality undimmed by the passing years. It’s a uncooked portrayal so typical of late playwright Barrie Keeffe who additionally wrote the Long Good Friday. We see how the percentages have been stacked towards individuals who lacked the safety ultimately given by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. There’s a tinge of disappointment that it’s nonetheless related as we speak however illustrates how little has actually modified. It’s the signal of an amazing play that may nonetheless resonate by way of later generations. A high quality solid put in a great shift because the plot strikes alongside at a full of life tempo to a satisfying conclusion.Review by Brian Penn
Rating: ★★★★
Seat: Unallocated seating | Price of Ticket: £12/£15