Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults

Overview: Mickey and Linda's Marriage

Mickey and Linda have a new home, thanks to Edward. But Mickey is angry as Linda tries to hide his antidepressant pills.

Linda and Mrs. Johnstone worry for Mickey

In the next scene, Linda is talking to Mrs. Johnstone about what they ought to do about Mickey’s dependency on antidepressant medication which, they feel, is stopping him from being his old self.
Linda also reveals that she has secured Mickey a job, and arranged housing for her young family (which now includes a daughter, Sarah). She has done this with the assistance of “someone I know” who works “on the housing committee”.

Mickey's anger towards Linda

Mickey and Linda are in their new home, and Mickey is furious because he can’t find his antidepressants, which Linda has hidden from him.
Linda tries to persuade him that he does not need the pills, but Mickey insists that he does.
Mickey also accuses Linda of going to Edward, who is now a city councillor, and asking him for financial assistance: “You sorted it out. You an’ Councillor Eddie Lyons.”
Despite Linda’s protests, Mickey insists that he must have the pills, and eventually Linda hands them over to him.

Linda growing up

The Narrator appears, singing a song about “the girl inside the woman”, referring to how much Linda has had to grow up in order to survive, yet longs for her carefree past.

Overview: Linda and Edward's Affair

As Linda cannot cope with her marriage, she begins a relationship with Edward.

Linda calls Edward

Linda decides to call Edward, and as she does this, Mrs. Johnstone is singing in the background.
Mrs. Johnstone’s song tells the audience that Linda doesn’t mean to be cruel with her actions, and that what is about to happen between Linda and Edward is “just a light romance”.
We then see Linda and Edward in a park, kissing and walking hand in hand.

Mickey whilst Edward and Linda are having an affair

As Mrs. Johnstone continues singing in the background, we now see Mickey making a decision to stop taking the pills, presumably for the sake of his marriage with Linda.
While this is happening, Linda and Edward are carrying on with their love affair.
Mrs. Johnstone sings to the audience that they are “gonna have a price to pay” for this infidelity.

Mrs. Lyons tells Mickey

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Lyons now appears on stage and she reveals to Mickey the truth about the affair which is unfolding between Edward and Linda.
Mickey reacts with rage and goes to Mrs. Johnstone’s house to get the gun that Sammy had hidden under the floorboards. Mrs. Johnstone sees him and chases him as he leaves: “Mickey… Mickey…”

Mickey goes to find Edward

As Mickey is roaming the streets looking for Edward and Linda, his mother is chasing after him.
The Narrator appears to warn us that someone has “gone mad in town tonight” and is going to “shoot somebody down”.
Mrs. Johnstone arrives at Linda’s house in time to warn her that Mickey has a gun, and Linda quickly realises that he must be looking for Edward at his place of work: the Town Hall.

Overview: Mickey and Edward Meet Their Fate

The culmination of the play, Mickey finds Edward to confront him about the affair.

Mickey finds Edward

The scene shifts again to the Town Hall, and Edward is making a speech.
Mickey enters the room, shaking and holding the gun in his hands, telling everyone to “stay where you are”.
Edward tries to remain calm as Mickey reveals that he knows about the affair because Mrs. Lyons told him.
Mickey also says that Linda was the “one thing left” in his life.

A policeman warns Mickey

A policeman orders Mickey to put down the gun, telling him that there are armed officers outside the building.
Mickey comments that he is a failure at everything he ever does, even shooting Edward.

Mrs. Johnstone reveals the truth

Just as things seem like they are about to calm down, Mrs. Johnstone enters in a state of panic, begging Mickey not to shoot Edward and revealing that the two men are brothers who were separated at birth: “You had a twin brother. I couldn’t afford to keep both of you.”

Mickey's anger at the truth

This makes Mickey even more furious as he realises how unlucky he has been to be the one who had to live in poverty while his brother lived a life of luxury, and so he goes ahead and pulls the trigger, killing Edward.
Moments later, armed police officers shoot and kill Mickey. Linda runs to the front of the room to be beside the two brothers.

The ending of the play

As all of the characters on the stage freeze, the Narrator appears, asking whether superstition is the cause of Mickey and Edward’s deaths, or whether really it is the class system which is to blame.
Finally, Mrs. Johnstone is pleading to be told that everything she has just witnessed is “just a dream”, or from a movie “with Marilyn Monroe”.
The other characters join in with her, repeating the plea to the audience to tell them that this was all pretend, just like “an old movie with Marilyn Monroe”.

1Context & Author

1.1Context

1.1.1Setting

1.1.2Political Background

1.1.3Education & Work

1.1.4Marilyn Monroe & Pop Culture

1.1.5Family

1.2Author

1.2.1Willy Russell

1.2.2End of Topic Test - Context & Author

2Plot

2.1Act One

2.1.1Overview: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone & Lyons

2.1.2Analysis: Introduction to Mrs. Johnston and Lyons

2.1.3Overview: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.4Analysis: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.5Overview: Mickey Playing at Home

2.1.6Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.7Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.8Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.9Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Act One

2.1.11End of Topic Test - Act One 2

2.2Act Two

2.2.1Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.2Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.3Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.4Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.5Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.6Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.7Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.8Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Act Two

2.2.10End of Topic Test - Act Two 2

3Characters

3.1Mickey

3.1.1Mickey

3.1.2Mickey as a Damaged Adult

3.2Edward

3.2.1Edward

3.2.2Edward 2

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Mickey & Edward

3.3Linda

3.3.1Linda

3.3.2Linda 2

3.4Mrs Johnstone

3.4.1Mrs Johnstone

3.4.2Mrs Johnstone 2

3.5Mrs Lyons

3.5.1Mrs Lyons

3.5.2Mrs Lyons 2

3.5.3End of Topic Test - Linda & Mothers

3.6Mr Lyons

3.6.1Mr Lyons

3.7Sammy

3.7.1Sammy

3.8The Narrator

3.8.1The Narrator

3.9Minor

3.9.1Minor Characters

3.9.2End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3.10End of Topic Sessions

3.10.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

4Themes

4.1Parents & Children

4.1.1Parents & Children

4.2Growing Up

4.2.1Growing Up

4.3Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.1Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.2End of Topic Test - Parents, Growing Up, Friends

4.4Fate & Superstition

4.4.1Fate & Superstition

4.5Nature vs. Nurture

4.5.1Nature vs. Nurture

4.6Social Class

4.6.1Social Class

4.6.2End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class

5Literary Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure

5.2Tragedy

5.2.1Tragedy

5.3Dramatic Irony

5.3.1Dramatic Irony

5.4Imagery

5.4.1Imagery

5.5Character & Voice

5.5.1Character

5.6Music & Lyrics

5.6.1Music & Lyrics

5.7Accent & Dialect

5.7.1Accent & Dialect

5.7.2End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

5.7.3End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques 2

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