Play Details
Context
Artistic Director
Max Stafford-Clark
Dates Performed
Sunday 15th December 1985
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Play Details
Synopsis
A bleak council estate in 1960s South London, where poverty and disillusionment breed a cycle of violence and indifference.
Pam, a young woman desperate for connection, becomes entangled with Len, a well-meaning but ineffectual young man, and Fred, a charismatic but cruel thug. As their relationships spiral into a web of betrayal and abuse, the play builds to a shocking climax where a group of disaffected youths, including Fred, stone a baby to death in its pram. In the aftermath, Len struggles to find meaning and redemption in a world seemingly devoid of hope or compassion.
Edward Bond’s controversial masterpiece dissects the roots of social alienation and violence with unflinching brutality. Through stark, spare dialogue and moments of searing cruelty, “Saved” paints a damning portrait of a society that has abandoned its most vulnerable members. The play’s infamous baby-stoning scene serves not as mere shock value, but as a devastating metaphor for the death of innocence and humanity in a world governed by poverty, neglect, and systemic failure. Bond challenges audiences to confront the conditions that give rise to such seemingly senseless acts, forcing a reckoning with the true costs of social inequality.
Cast & Creative
Cast
Peter Hugo-Daly
Cast
Adrian Dunbar
Cast
Peter Lovstrom
Cast
Leslie Manville
Cast
Gary Oldman
Cast
Gerad Horan
Cast
Joanne Whalley
Cast
June Watson
Cast
Mark Wingett
Designer
Peter Hartwell
Lighting
Andy Phillips
Costume
Jennifer Cook
Sound
Andy Pink
Deputy Stage Manager
Annie Hutchinson
Deputy Stage Manager
Peter O'Malley
Voice and dialect coach