A Guide to Martin McDonagh's HANGMEN

HANGMEN is set in Oldham, a working-class town in Northern England (Lancashire) in the early 1960s.

In 1965, the United Kingdom officially abolished capital punishment (the death penalty) for murder, ending the practice of execution by hanging, which had been Britain’s primary method of capital punishment for centuries.

The last executions in Britain were carried out in August 1964.

THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE IN ENGLAND

There are long-standing economic, social, and cultural differences between the northern and southern halves of England, a widely recognized set of disparities that broadly follow a diagonal line from the Severn Estuary in the west to the Wash (a bay in East Anglia) in the east. The “divide” is more about long-standing regional stereotypes and perceived differences in lifestyle than a genuine animosity.

SOME HANGMEN GLOSSARY TERMS

ANY ROAD - A Northern expression for “anyway.” “Any road, are you still coming round on Saturday?”

ARSED - Bothered. “I can’t be arsed to do it.”

BABY CHAM - A brand of Sparkling Perry (pear-based alcoholic drink) popular in the 50s and 60s, considered a “Ladies” drink. “You look like a man who drinks Baby Cham...”

BITTER - Traditional British ale, mildly hoppy, similar to amber ale. “Pint of bitter, please.”

BLANCMANGE - a sweet, cold, and opaque dessert pudding.

CHUFFED - Delighted. “I’m right chuffed!”

DAFT - Silly / Foolish “You daft old man.”

DICKY-BOW - A bow-tie.

GIT / TWIT/ PILLOCK - Idiot / fool Mild insults. “The Hangman is a right git.”

GRAND NATIONAL - A horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.

HALF - a half pint of beer (10oz) compared to the full Imperial pour of 20 oz.

(American pints are traditionally 16 oz.) “Just a half today.”

INT - A contraction for “isn’t it” or “are not”. “That’s your pint int?”

LUCKY DIP - Game or informal raffle, a mystery prize. “It’s a lucky dip whether it rains.”

MARDY - Moody / Sulky. “Stop being so mardy.”

MILD - A a low-alcohol style of beer known for its malty flavor and low hop bitterness. “I’ll just have a mild and some peanuts.”

NOWT - Nothing. “There’s nowt you can do.”

NUTTER - derogative term for a crazy person. Or also an eccentric, or foolish person. “That bloke screaming is a right nutter.”

OWT - Anything. “Did he say owt?”

PALAVER - unnecessary fuss, trouble, idle talk. “We’ll have no more of this palaver about going to the seaside.”

PONCE - Effeminate man / Freeloader / Show-off, Can imply vanity or cowardice. “He’s a right ponce.”

SORTED - Taken care of / Fixed. “It’s all sorted.”

TEA (meaning meal) - In the north it is the final meal of the day. “We’re having a roast for our tea, with pudding after.”

WEETABIX - A whole grain wheat breakfast cereal.

Performances of HANGMEN are November 7 through November 22; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm and Thursday, November 20 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students/youth 18 & under, available at hickorytheatre.org or by phone at 828-328-2283. The show is suitable for ages 18 and up.

Hickory Community Theatre is a Funded Affiliate of Arts Culture Catawba and receives sustaining support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The 77th season is supported by The City of Hickory, A Cleaner World, Shurtape Technologies, Acuna & Acuna Dentistry and BelleAge.