The Accrington Pals

The Accrington Pals is an emotionally powerful play written by Peter Whelan. It is set in Accrington during 1914-1916 and tells the story of a group of local men who volunteer to join a “Pals” Battalion. In it we see the contrast between their experiences in the trenches and the lives of the women left behind. The “Pals” were a real regiment and were officially the 11th (service) Battalion Accrington East Lancashire Regiment, one of Kitchener’s Army Battalions raised in and around the towns of Accrington during WWI. The play was first performed by The Royal Shakespeare Company at The Warehouse in London in 1981.

The Accrington Pals was an outstanding play and is a credit to Tricia Nichols who has directed it with great sensitivity and attention to detail. The cast of ten actors each created and sustained their characters throughout the performance. Claire Henson who played flower seller May gave a strong and sincere performance. Alistair Way was very endearing as Tom. Andy Richards moved me to tears as Ralph when he read his letter to home. Di Wyman as Ralph’s girlfriend Eva brought some much needed humour to her role. Julie Black as mill worker Sarah and Alison Clayton as mill girl Bertha each gave strong performances. Penny Prince was very good as housewife Annie who was forever trying to catch and chastise her young son. Ross Green gave us some very moving moments as Annie’s husband Arthur especially when he released his pigeon “England’s Glory”. Archie McDonald gave a very promising performance as Annie’s young son Reggie. Nick Gough gave a strong and sincere performance as CSM Rivers. Well done to all the cast you all gave incredibly believable portrayals of your characters.
The stage area for this production was quite small but the set designed and built by Dave Lawrence was superb and was utilised and managed expertly. The costumes and props were excellent and were all very authentic looking. The makeup and hair styles were all very good and in keeping with the period. The lighting and sound quality was excellent throughout the performance. The special effects were very good too.
All in all this was an almost faultless opening night and the audience went on a roller coaster of emotions with some tense, dramatic moments and lots of opportunity for laughter and tears. Congratulations to all at Under the Tower Drama for this highly entertaining and moving production of The Accrington Pals.
CAROLINE JERVIS (DEPUTISING FOR LUKE CAMPBELL)                                                                   NODA EAST MIDLANDS DISTRICT 8 REPRESENTATIVE.   

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