Kes

I well remember the 1969 film directed by Ken Loach starring Colin Welland, Brian Glover and David Bradley as Billy Casper. It was a film which well depicted the 1960’s and this play did the same.

The set on this production captured a simpler time where people had very little in the way of material goods and houses, schools, shops etc had very little in the way of luxuries. Adults in the main thought children should be seen and not heard (as my grandma used to say) and what in those days was seen as normal behaviour would today be considered cruel and unnecessary. The set and props were well made by John Buckley and his team and used creatively including fold out, pull in sets for shops, schools, open fields, Billy’s house including bedroom and stairs.

The direction including casting was inspired with a number of young cast who put in wonderful performances. All the supporting cast, some of which had a couple of parts put in nice performances to complete the production.

I enjoyed and felt uncomfortable in equal measure (because of the accuracy) of the gritty performances of Iain Linsdell as Mr Gryce the headmaster who ruled by fear and the cane and was typical of the time when corporal punishment which was around when I was a kid.  Shaun McGowan as Mr Sugden the PE teacher was equally reminiscent of teachers of the 60’s who delighted in humiliating their young charges.

Ian Chatterton as Mr Farthing the teacher so far ahead of his time put in a lovely performance. He cared but was never over sentimental getting the balance just right.

Joe Griffiths- Holland as the young bully MacDowall was eminently watchable and delivered his lines with much conviction- well done.

Tracey Rontree put in a strong performance as Mrs Casper who was doing her best with a bully of a son and another being bullied not just at home but at school too. Her inability to often not even notice what was happening as she worked and played hard was uncomfortable to watch but only as it was delivered so well.

Richard Parker as Jud the bullying brother was again well cast and delivered his part with a mean and nasty streak that made many in the audience (me included) want to point out the error of his ways. He was of course a victim of the same circumstance that left his younger brother being bullied, the lack of a decent male role model in his life when his dad left.

Although all the cast put in sterling performances there was one real star of this show. The lead of Billy Casper was beautifully played by a young Frank Williams. His portrayal was stunning, never out of character and he was rarely off stage. He had so much dialogue not just to learn but deliver in a way that drew each member of the audience in and then spat us out as emotional wrecks at the end of Act 2. I cried openly at his final scenes and his final monologue was delivered with such passion it was breathtaking. How wonderful to see him smile so broadly at the curtain call as throughout the whole piece he had the weight of the world on his shoulders only daring to live when training his beloved Kes. A massive well done Frank.

A fantastic albeit emotional evenings entertainment with gritty performances and creative direction and staging.

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