It’s not the most sophisticated evening but this hyper-local history play about penal reformer Elizabeth Fry has heart. It features three female prisoners, hanged in the 19th century and now resurrected as two storytellers and a DJ, sharing the role of the “Betsy” Fry they remember.
It’s performed in the room named for Fry in Newham’s modern library, close to her past homes in East and West Ham, by a mix of professional adult actors and young people. Though it’s not worth a trek across town, locals – who can see it on a Pay What You Can basis – may be both charmed and informed.
