Brassed Off

‘Brassed Off’ is the story of a coal mining community and its brass band's efforts to retain hope and pride amidst the devastating closure of their pit. A story which resonates deeply with the Murton community and surrounding villages in the Northeast of England.

This is not the first time Murton Theatre Group have taken on the challenge of ‘Brassed Off’ after having performed it in May 2018 when I personally played the role of Gloria. Having such fond memories of the production and MTG, I was thoroughly looking forward to seeing this show.

It was lovely to see that some of the cast from 2018 were part of this 2025 production and seeing familiar faces added a special touch, but also brought to mind the great Steve White who sadly passed in 2020 and who I’m sure would have been proud to see the continuation of this wonderful tradition from MTG.

Malcolm Quinn returned to the role of band leader “Danny” and is still a perfect Danny, mastering the balance of ‘heart and hammer’ required of the role.

Martin O’Leary as ‘Harry’ & Martyn Banks as ‘Jim,’ delivered a great double act with most of the audience’s laughter coming from their performances. Both actors had great comedic timing and looking back on my notes from the evening, I wrote ‘go on lads!’ referring to the shower scene which brought great humour and grit – loved it.

Lee Welch & Hollie Wilson as married couple ‘Phil’ and ‘Sandra’ gave stand out performances, giving raw and honest emotions whenever they were on stage. The struggles of the time were really felt by the audience thanks to the portrayal these actors both gave which were full of fire and personality. Hollie as the broken mother gave the performance of the production and captured the audiences’ hearts. The couple were pleasantly supported by the young people playing their children, Eva, and Samuel Craig as ‘Melody’ and ‘Craig’ who really contributed to the feeling of family and gave great performances on stage. Jacob Robinson played ‘Shane;’ the child who’s eyes the story is played through. A real professional, Jacob played the role with great maturity and skill, making the audience feel sad and happy on a whim. He also had a great accent with great diction which for a young actor is hard to achieve – well done Jacob.

Brett Adamson & Emma Conroy played young lovers ‘Andy’ and ‘Gloria,’ giving commendable performances portraying love, anger, frustration, rejection, and convincing brass band performances. Their chemistry on stage added a delightful touch to the story, and their efforts were appreciated by the audience.

Commendable supporting performances came from MTG legend Anne Malpass, A wonderful character actor with loads of fire and tenacity who played one of the ‘women against pit closures and the hospital Matron. Carole Young played ‘Rita’ who’s warm personality offstage beams through her acting on stage. Clare Lackenby gave us lots of giggles as ‘Vera’ and Andrew Lackenby, Sharon Bentham, Rachel Craig, and Aimee Honnor supported as Bailiff, Nurse, and Women against Pit Closures.

Having been in the production myself I know the challenges it faces with lots of scenes in multiple locations and the added complication of a live brass band. Director Gordon Richardson did not deviate from his 2018 set and the show (other than a different band and different actors) had not changed from the original production 7 years prior. Scene transitions were loud and obvious, which distracted the actors and the audience, sound issues impacted emotive and hard-hitting scenes and details like Shane’s modern trainers, fake smoking and a noose revealed to the audience too soon, at times detracted from the overall authenticity of the production. However, with some adjustments to these elements, the flow of the performance could be greatly improved, allowing the talented cast to shine even more.

In contrast however, this production was not shy of special moments which came primarily from scenes involving The Durham Miners Association Brass Band. All their musical numbers were truly wonderful. Phillipa Smith’s solo performance of ‘Concerto de orange juice,’ the boozy brass competition which had the audience in stitches and the headlamp scene outside of Danny’s hospital window were very special and got great audience reactions.

Congratulations to MTG and their 2025 cast and crew of Brassed Off. I look forward to Whistle Down the Wind in October.

 

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