Olivier Award Winner Labour of Love for Adelaide

James Graham’s political play Labour of Love received the prestigious Olivier award in 2018, the same year another of his works, the celebrated play Ink was also nominated for the award, testament to the talent of the playwright.

St Jude’s Players, a long-standing Brighton beach-based community theatre company in South Australia, has chosen Labour of Love as the first in the lineup of plays in its 2025 season. Director Kym Clayton is excited to be at the creative helm for the play.

“James Graham is a razor-sharp commentator on politics and his Labour of Love is an intriguing commentary on the history of labour party politics in the UK over the last two decades,” he said.  “Graham compares and contrasts principles and pragmatism with razor sharp wit. But what he says is relevant to politics in any western democracy, especially Australia.”

The narrative has echoes of political life and contrasting policies almost anywhere and is especially funny and sharply pointed when it comes to internal squabbles.

British Labour MP David Lyons cares about modernisation and ‘electability’.

His constituency agent, Jean Whittaker cares about principles and her community. 

Set away from the Westminster bubble in the party's traditional northern heartlands, this is an hilarious clash of philosophy, culture and class against the backdrop of the Labour Party over 25 years, as it moves from Kinnock through Blair into Corbyn... and beyond.