Plonk (wine) fancy affair. For example, if a party guest is worried about the social level of the occasion, a host might assuage his or her concerns with the phrase: "Oh, just bring a bottle of plonk." Indeed, probably the most famous literary use of "plonk" comes in Willy Russell's play "Educating Rita". Working-class Rita decides she cannot attend a party to which academic Frank has invited her, since she is ashamed of the wine she has bought and feels out-of-place. When Rita reports her anxieties to Frank the following week, he castigates Rita for being too self-conscious, reassuring her: "It wouldn't
Peter McKintosh Being Earnest, Hay Fever, Harvey, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Another Country, Viva Forever!, Death and the Maiden, Butley, Love Story, Prick Up Your Ears, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Donkeys’ Years, The Dumb Waiter, Fiddler on the Roof, A Woman of No Importance, Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine (West End); Guys and Dolls, Uncle Vanya, Antony and Cleopatra, The Scarlet Letter, Just So, Pal Joey, Another Country (Chichester Festival Theatre); Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Sound of Music, Crazy For You, Hello Dolly! (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); The Winslow Boy (Old Vic/Roundabout, NY); Noises Off (Old Vic/West End/UK tour); Our Country’s Good,