Skip to main content
Do you wanna be in my gang?

PAUL DONOVAN relishes a fascinating exploration of the leading lights of the Labour right in the 1970s

CLUBBY: Hywell Morgan as Roy Jenkins and Alan Cox as Tony Crosland / Pic: Manuel Harlan

The Gang of Three
Kings Head Theatre, Islington
★★★★★

THIS excellent play examines the conflictual relationship between three of the Labour Party leading right wingers of the 1970s and ’80s.

The three hander moves to and from between Roy Jenkins (Hywel Morgan), Denis Healey (Colin Tierney) and Tony Crosland (Alan Cox), the plot shifting between various leadership and deputy leadership elections between 1976 and 1980.

All three contest the 1976 leadership election, won by Jim Callaghan. Crosland contested an earlier deputy leadership contest, bringing forth a quip from Healey about coming seventh in a field of five.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring their side
Men’s Football / 1 October 2023
1 October 2023
Similar stories
IS
Album reviews / 5 May 2025
5 May 2025

New releases reviewed by IAN SINCLAIR

round up
Cinema / 1 May 2025
1 May 2025

Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade, Parthenope, Where Dragons Live and Thunderbolts* reviewed by MICHAL BONCZA and MARIA DUARTE

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick. Photo: Lucy North/PA
Tory party / 23 April 2025
23 April 2025

Badenoch under pressure to sack shadow justice secretary

IS albums
Album reviews / 21 April 2025
21 April 2025

New releases from Brown Horse, Craig Finn, and Julien Baker & TORRES