Adapted from the 2010 film of the same name, Made in Dagenham is a dramatisation of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists' strike that would lead to the 1970 Equal Pay Act. The play follows the life of Rita O'Grady and her efforts to ensure equal pay for women.
The musical made its West End and world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in 2014 and was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards in 2016.
This musical play contains examples of:
- Buffy Speak: Clare seems completely incapable of referring to objects and subjects by their name, to the point that her song, "Wossname", consists entirely of Blah, Blah, Blah.
- The Chains of Commanding: Prime Minister Harold Wilson frequently laments the stressful nature of his job. His song, "Always a Problem", best exemplifies it. Even hearing the word "debt" leaves him clutching his chest in horror.
- The Ditz: Clare. To quote her friends:Rita: Your heart's in the right place, Clare.Beryl: But they fucked everything else up.
- Eagleland: Mr Tooley is a firm Type II, proudly declaring America the Top Dog of the world and dismissing Great Britain as the fifty-first state.
- Fiery Redhead: Multiple times throughout the play, the phrase "fiery like her hair" is used to describe Barbara Castle.
- Historical Domain Character: Being set in Great Britain in 1968, Harold Wilson makes a number of appearances, as does Barbara Castle
. - "I Want" Song: "This Is What We Want" lists the women's desires for improved working conditions at the factory, from the simple to the slightly impractical.
- Kick the Dog: Mr Tooley destroys Connie's written speech for the TUC Conference.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: By destroying Connie's speech, Tooley unwittingly allows Rita to make a passionate and heartfelt speech of her own to the conference that successfully persuades the TUC to make equal pay a core policy.
- Reluctant Hero: Rita has to sacrifice more and more time for the machinists' strike, leading to less and less time with her family.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Beryl. Nearly all of her lines have at least one swearword.
- Take Up My Sword: When Connie ends up hospitalised with cancer, she calls upon Rita to speak at theTUC Conference in her stead, leaving behind her written speech upon her death.
- Taking the Kids: As the play goes on, Eddie and Rita's relationship sours, leading to Eddie taking Sharon and Graham away to his mother's.
- You Are Not Alone: Lisa assures Rita that she has the support of thousands of women, saying this trope word for word.
