Graft: A Comedy in Four Acts

"Graft: A Comedy in Four Acts" by Harold Brighouse is a play set in the early 1900s that tells the story of the Pilling family – Jim, Sally, and their son Dick – who are crammed into a small apartment in Carrington, longing for a better life. The play explores the divide between the working class and the wealthy, seen through characters like Stephen Verity, a politically driven man. The story kicks off with the Pillings dreaming of the countryside and worrying about raising their kid in their tough neighborhood. As a kind curate and a powerful alderman show up, a conflict bubbles to the surface: a new recreation ground that could wipe out the fancy Polygon area. Through these characters and their interactions, the play offers a funny look at social class and community tensions.