This play has very strong language and scenes of a bare-bottomed sexual nature.

That’s my stark warning over with.

There are also atmospheric snatches of music from Blondie, The Jam Culture Club, David Bowie and The Human League.

A soundtrack to the lives of so many in the audience – me included.

It opens with Soft Cell’s Tainted Love (an apt choice considering the subject matter) featuring Rita and Sue of the title lip-synching to the famous Northern Soul cover version.

This earthy play, first performed in 1982, was from the pen of then 19-year-old Bradford-born Andrea Dunbar.

The girl from the run-down housing estate was ‘discovered’ by London’s Royal Court Theatre where new writers were nurtured.

Inspirational director Max Stafford-Clark saw something in Andrea’s raw work and it caused quite a reaction back in 1982.  

It still has the ability to shock.

Now, newly edited with John Hollingworth, Royal court departing Max co-directs with Kate Wasserberg in this sharp, modern-day revival.

It is set in Thatcher’s Britain and for two YTS girls who are half street-wise and half naive - escapism is found in the back seat of a car with a sexually frustrated married family man.

One of the girls says in a hard-faced yet contradictory wistful way: "Do you think it would be better if you and me got ourselves steady boyfriends?’’

This is no Rom-Com.

Sadly, we will never know how Andrea would have developed as a ‘voice’ since the mother-of-three died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 29 having written only three works.

This - her second piece - went on to become a film.

I attended the 1987 premiere starring former Everyman star George Costigan who played the self-employed, Bob.

It caused controversy with fellow critics not only for the un-erotic, sex-in a-car scenes but also from Dunbar’s neighbours who complained about the way they were portrayed.

Andrea didn’t like the movie since there was a different more upbeat ending for the threesome of Bob, Rita and Sue.

Now the play is revived by a production from Out of Joint, Octagon Theatre Bolton and London’s Royal Court Theatre.

It is one of the major touring productions to visit the Everyman and Playhouse in its Autumn season.

Designer Tim Shortall’s compact act set features a huge backdrop of the Bradford moors while four chairs are the only real props which are strategically moved 

around the stage to convey a car and various living rooms.

A grey tenement block complete with dirty washing hung out to dry in public acutely paints the picture of the down-at-heel residents of the 80s.

The excellent programme note set the scene and explains the reasons why the creative team felt it was time for a piece of Bradford revisited.

In the six strong cast, Taj Atwal’s Rita and newcomer Gemma Dobson as Sue certainly get to grips with the punchy, loud and lurid language peppered with foul-mouthed outbursts.

The two actresses deserve praise for fleshing out these two lost souls.

And James Atherton, sporting a dodgy mullet, energetically presents Bob with all his failings and moral misgivings.   

Andrea Dunbar’s semi-autobiographical play illustrated her ear for every day dialogue. Her dark humour was ironically the only bright ray of hope on the hazy horizon she saw.

She certainly inspired many of today’s grittier soap writers with her observations on the very real emotionally and financially challenged people she saw struggling around her. 

Brutally Bitter Sweet - Four Stars

On until Saturday, for tickets call the Box Office on 0151 709 4776.