According to press materials, The Hook was suppressed by the FBI amidst the political tensions of 1950s America, for fear that it could cause unrest in New York's dockyards. Described as a "play for the screen," it has been adapted for the stage by Ron Hutchinson and will be directed by James Dacre. Sixty years on, the dockyards of Brooklyn's epic waterfront will come alive on the Royal stage for the story of Marty Ferrara, a longshoreman who challenges the mobsters and gangs of ‘50s New York and takes a stand against the corruption he witnesses from the authorities who control the docks. The story of a close-knit community grappling with a world of crime and punishment, of changing industry and immigration from abroad, The Hook is a study in integrity and betrayal, charting one man’s struggle for meaningful change.

The season at Northampton will also include new commissions by Dawn King, Ron Hutchinson, Georgia Pritchett, Dougal Irvine, Oladipo Agboluaje, Chris Bush, Melanie Spencer and others, as well as revivals of Cyrano de Bergerac (co-produced with Northern Stage), King John (co-produced with Shakespeare's Globe and touring nationally), Patrick Hamilton's Gaslight and Peter Whelan's The Herbal Bed.

For further details and to book tickets, contact the box office on 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk.