Brassed Off

A hard-hitting account of life in the South Yorkshire mining town of Grimley where the Tory government is seeking to close down the local colliery as it is no longer considered economical. The outcome will be that 1,200 jobs will disappear with little or no chance of them being replaced. Such a closure will also result in the winding up of the colliery brass band which has been in existence for over a hundred years.

Joe Smith (as Shane, grandson of Danny the band conductor) performed the introduction and provided links for the play which he delivered with care and confidence. Robert Nicholls (as Phil, Shane’s dad) then led his mining colleagues to begin their shift; they included Paul Coleman (as the jovial Harry), Nick Fletcher (as the shrewd Jim, not taken in by the amount of redundancy offered) and Joe Dickinson (as Andy, an aspiring snooker player).

Linda Smith (as Rita, wife of Harry) and Colette Buchanan-Gray (as Vera, wife of Jim) both wanted the pit to stay open whilst their husbands, though reluctant to admit it, would accept the redundancy money.

Emma Dobson (as Phil’s wife, Sandra) gave an immensely powerful performance as a woman being pushed close to breaking point, with four children to feed, outstanding debts to pay with bailiff’s visits resulting from non-payment, being forced to dress in second-hand clothes, no respite available and no prospect of her situation improving. Meanwhile, husband Phil was also under pressure. Having been a strong supporter of strike action in the past he could not change his position now, for his work mates would surely mock him. There was also the matter of his requiring a new trombone! Full marks to Zoe Fell (as Melody) and Kitty Lane (as Kylie); their “silent squabbling” was just what was required!

Martin Tyrell (as Danny, the band conductor), an ex-miner terminally ill with diseased lungs, was still fanatical about the band and its music. Thankfully, he eventually came to accept that it is people who are more important – after all notes don’t play themselves.

Dominique Spinks (as Gloria) returned to the area having been away at university. Proving herself a competent player of the flugelhorn, she was accepted into the band and resumed a romantic acquaintance with Andy. However, the relationship did not proceed smoothly when it was discovered that she was in the area to carry out a viability study in relation to Grimley Colliery for the National Coal Board.

This production was of a high standard with some very good characterisation displayed. Set in a number of different locations, most of the staging was flexible and this enabled the stage crew to carry out speedy changes that gave the proceedings pace. Live Brass Band music was an essential ingredient in this play and what a fantastic feat was achieved by Anthony Fell and his colleagues in putting a band of 22 players together and sorting the music in such a short time. The generosity of spirit displayed by former Murton Colliery Band in donating their uniforms for use in this play was indeed most kind. Congratulations to all who were involved in this show.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.