Elizabeth Gaskell's panoramic novel of Victorian England, adapted for the stage by the author of Iron and The James Plays. Manchester in the 1840s. By day, Mary Barton works in a dress shop making gowns for the daughters of the newly moneyed mill owners. By night, Mary aspires to join their class. As she strives to better herself, murder, intrigue and romance take over her life and the lives of those she loves. Fast-paced, epic and exciting, Mary Barton presents a panorama of Manchester life from the mill owners' new prosperity to the thousands of ordinary people living and dying in their factories. Rona Munro's adaptation of Mary Barton was premiered at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, in 2006.