Directed by Kimberley Sykes, this compelling new play asked what is the right thing to do, and how much must it cost?
As the 19th Century dawns, politicians of all political persuasions gather in London to abolish the slave trade once and for all.
But will the price of freedom turn out to be a multi-billion pound pay off to the slave owners? Even though such a bailout could drive the country into economic and political ruin?
As morality and corruption clash in a world of men thirsty for power, two women forge an unlikely union and fight their way to the seat of political influence, challenging Members of Parliament who dare deny them their say.
In this provocative play, directed by Kimberley Sykes (Dido, Queen of Carthage, 2017; As You Like It, 2019), the personal collides with the political to ask what is the right thing to do and how much must it cost?
The play premiered in the Swan Theatre in February 2020 but closed unexpectedly in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
In October 2020, the RSC released an audio drama based on the stage production and featuring the original cast.
Juliet Gilkes Romero received The 2020 Alfred Fagan Award for The Whip.
Cast and creatives
Michael Abubakar - Chorus
David Birrell - Lord Maybourne
Richard Clothier - Alexander Boyd
John Cummins - Cornelius Hyde Villiers
Nicholas Gerard-Martin - William Purnell
Nadi Kemp-Sayfi - Chorus
Debbie Korley - Mercy Pryce
Tom McCall - Anthony Bradshaw Cooper
Corey Montague-Sholay - Edmund
Katherine Pearce - Horatia Poskitt
Riad Richie - The Speaker/Chorus
Bridgitta Roy - Chorus
Writer Juliet Gilkes Romero | Director Kimberley Sykes | Set and Lighting Designer Ciaran Bagnall | Costume Designer Nicky Shaw | Music Akintayo Akinbode | Sound Claire Windsor | Movement Coral Messam | Fights Kev McCurdy
The plot
Set at the dawn of social reform laws in England, The Whip examines the fight to pass the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.
Whig Party Chief Whip Alexander Boyd is attempting to steer the Bill through parliament; however, he must contend with the Tories, public opinion, and ultimately, his conscience.
Behind the scenes, runaway slaves Mercy Pryce, Edmund, and ex-cotton worker Horatia Poskitt unleash their own competing battles to improve the conditions for those not yet heard in parliament.
Meanwhile, slave owning Home Secretary Lord Maybourne, who insists the Bill will be a moral victory which serves British democracy without bloodshed in the colonies or at home, has rival political ambitions of his own.
As morality and corruption erupt in a world of men hoping to profit from emancipation, the covered up death of a child in a northern cotton mill threatens to unravel all.
