Brassed Off

‘Brassed Off’ is a play which has been adapted for the stage from the 1996 film of the same name and enjoys a continuing popularity, particularly - and unsurprisingly, given the historical background to the piece - in the North of England. Taking its lead from the real story of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and immersed in the political and economic upheavals of the mining industry in the 1990s, this is a play which deals with powerful emotions and strongly held opinions on every side. The play also provides for the possibility of a more than usually immersive theatrical experience - with a brass band included in the cast line-up - and Paddy Walsh did a marvellous job of making the most of the opportunities available to create a fully rounded dramatic and musical entertainment with plenty to say for itself, spinning the ‘chip on its shoulder’ straw of the script into something approaching theatrical gold. This was a warm, involving and impressive production which scored highly on a number of different levels and provided a large audience with a memorable evening’s entertainment.

The play is set in 1994, ten years on from the infamous Miners Strike of 1984/85 and a much more  comprehensive pit closure programme is underway. Our not so merry band of Yorkshire folk are beset once more by a host of moral, political and economic worries tied up with the imminent closure of Grimley Colliery and also, the threat to the brass band which comes with it. Tragedy and comedy thus rub shoulders with each other as the plucky band members - and the women in their lives - battle their way through the obstacles thrown in their path. The stage crew did a wonderful job of creating a marvellously well put together playing arena for the evening, with each scene moving swiftly on from the heels of the last and creating an impressive overall look for the evening’s entertainment. The look and feel of the stage really complemented the drama as it unfolded and the practicalities of scene changes became a part of the narrative in an intelligent way.

The character of young Shane provides the audience’s way through the events of the play and we had a superb guide in the shape of Amaan Hafiz. Shane has a John Godber-ish way of addressing the audience through the fourth wall and takes us with him as the events of the play unfold (one of the plays more curious aspects is the decision to tell the story in the form of a ‘flashback’ through Shane’s recollections but as the story unfolds, we are given no real feeling that this is actually the case and Shane’s interjections - although worthwhile and amusing - seem to pay no heed to the conventions of telling the tale in retrospect.) Amaan is a fantastic young performer of whom we shall see much more from in future if his appearance here is anything to go by. Shane’s Mum and Dad -  Sandra and Phil - were played with a good deal of agonised verisimilitude by Neely Jillings and Matt Brooks and it is their plight which is at the centre of the drama. Battling through pit problems, mounting debt and with a large young brood to support, the fraught family relationship means that their lives are full of problems with no hope of an easy solution. Neely and Matt provided their characters with flesh and blood realism, giving the audience a very real understanding of the issues facing this young family. 

Jim, Vera, Harry and Rita provide us with another pair of couples whose differing attitudes and responses to the miners’ situation helps to provide the play with a more fully rounded and objective look at the issues of the piece. The way that Jim and Harry’s very blokey relationship mirrors that of a ‘married couple’ was very well done here and the suggestion that the mining community’s sense of shared experience and hardship, coupled with the close working environment, brings the men together was cleverly expressed. Steven Derbyshire and Martin Cottam excelled here in giving us a true and believable slice of reality, producing two characters whose easy charms and amiable companionship was tinged with the more hard nosed realities of working life. Similarly, Suzanne Nolan and Kate Roberts provided a pair of well drawn characters whose differing levels of commitment to the miners struggle - and the long suffering nature of their relationships both with each other and with their respective husbands - was also very well expressed. 

When we arrive at Andy - the easy-going ladies’ man of the pit - and his budding (or should that be rekindled?) romance with Gloria, we reach the point where the theme of conflict in the play goes from being general and political to become more personal and prosaic. Ryan Coe’s performance really hit the spot at projecting a real ‘flesh and blood’ character and his romance with Gloria was every bit as honest and direct as it could have been. There was no over-ripe theatricality here as the courtship - if it could be addressed in such rose tinted terms - played out in a thoroughly believable way. Gloria is a former resident of Grimley who has moved away, moved up in the world and now moved back again, working on a viability report for the dreaded management at the colliery. Louisa Harkness brought a down to earth freshness to the role - perhaps being fresh to the world of am dram, she has yet to pick up the bad habits and ‘performance tics’ we older thesps tend to fall back on?! - in what was an assured and impressive debut. Louisa playing the flugelhorn live on stage with the brass band was a particularly impressive feat too. 

The thread which ties the play together is the ever present Grimley Brass Band, its trials and tribulations and the determination of band leader Danny to get to the national finals at the Royal Albert Hall. Roy Washington imbued Danny with all the necessary gritty passion needed for the character and taken as a whole, all the leading male characters came together to create a very well balanced and believable ensemble. Roy’s solid stage presence and the way he brought out the character’s inner fire was totally in keeping with the character, the overall feel of the play and the way the ensemble interacted as a whole. His tetchy and irascible nature matched his single minded determination to put the brass band competition first at all costs. His final speech was delivered with an honest and forthright passion which stirred the emotions of the audience and was a fitting finale from a very well drawn character. 

There were many moments to savour in this production, many of them involving the Blackburn and Darwen Brass Band: their musical skills ably showcased by their participation in the drama and their presence was worked in to the production in a number of ingenious ways. As an integral part of the drama, the band also played a vital role in adding lustre to the dramatic events as they unfolded. I have to say that for me, the good natured parping of a brass band usually conjures up a sound world which is wearily redolent of a pint of warm beer, a packet Woodbines (and a Northerner with a grudge drinking the former and smoking the latter) but here, their precise playing complemented the production perfectly. Blackburn and Darwen Brass Band made the evening a musical, as well as a dramatic, experience of some merit.

With musical sunshine flashing through the grim and grey clouds of Grimley, the gallows humour of the piece demonstrates the resilience of the workers and the band provides a temporary haven of artistic tranquility for the beleaguered mining community. Phil and Sandra’s day to day struggles on the cliff edge of working class life were superbly drawn by Matt Brooks and Neely Jillings; the comic/tragic banter between Jim, Vera, Harry and Rita came over naturally and with great feeling; the band’s boozy journey through the qualifying rounds of the competition was a textbook example of how to use the theatrical space available and was also performed with skill; Andy and Gloria’s relationship was realistic and thoughtfully painted; the way the various characters were delineated and all told their own individual stories was impressive; the dramatic build-up to the grand finale took the audience on an emotional journey and provided a rewarding summation of the evening’s entertainment. This was a first class production with plenty to say, expressed in a style which really worked in making the most of the material. Staging was first class and District 3’s dynamic duo (Kris Connell and Ryan Clegg) provided their usual sterling support with sound and lights to add the extra gloss to the stage. 

This is a play which has a very political edge. To my mind, the underlying political themes of the piece don’t really get the opportunity to breathe but then that isn’t really the point of the play: instead, the successful drawing together of humorous material with a more intelligent edge - and the added bonus of musical moments with a brass band - makes ‘Brassed Off’ a worthy entertainment. This production, directed with a clear and inspiring eye by Paddy Walsh, made the most of its brassy charms and polished them up marvellously. Politically speaking, I happen to be  somewhere off to the right of Norman Tebbit so it shouldn’t be too difficult to work out where my personal political sympathies lie: when a production of this quality can provide a flint hearted old misery like me with an engaging evening at the theatre, it speaks volumes for talent and the overall commitment of the society.  

 

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