Shelagh Delaney''s 1958 play, written when she was only 19, brought the lives and struggles of northern, working-class people onto the stage. Initially dividing the critics - some of whom regarded it as ''immature'' - it went on to become one of the most defining plays of the twentieth century.

This Student Edition contains a commentary by Hannah Simpson, Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which explores the following themes in relation to the play:

- gender roles
- homosexuality
- race
- class
- youth
- 1950s notions of family

In addition, it looks at the play''s production history, different ways it has been staged, and critical reception; the form of the kitchen-sink and drawing-room drama and to what extent the play conforms or disrupts these models; 1950s Britain and what it was like; and the play''s ambiguous ending.