The Burnt Part Boys

Wilburton Theatre Group can always be relied upon to come up with something different and The Burnt Part Boys (Book by Mariana Elder, Music Chris Miller, Lyrics Nathan Tysen) is a case in point.  I have to admit it is not a show familiar to me.  The show ran for about six weeks off-Broadway in 2010 and again as a fringe show in London for the same length of time in 2016.  Therefore I don’t feel too much of a philistine admitting to being unfamiliar with it.

Set in the early ’60s, the show follows a quintet of early adolescents on a quest (at least for some of them) to halt the reopening of The Burnt Part coal mine that 10 years earlier killed their fathers and others. Fourteen-year-old Pete has found solace in a fatherless world amid the fantasy of movies. Pete emboldened by his imagined Hollywood film heroes, sets off to blast the mine before it reopens, keeping the graves of the lost ones sacred.  Pete talks his best friend Dusty into going along with him.  Along the way, Pete and Dusty come across a runaway schoolfriend Frances. Hot on their heels to stop them are Pete’s 18-year-old brother Jake, who works for the mine, along with his pal Chet.

Much of the show follows their long and challenging journey to the mine which requires the staging to depict the many areas traversed.  The staging here was extremely inventive using ladders, wooden chairs, boxes and planks.  The impressive backcloth fronted by a sloped pathway which continued from the stage down round the pit into the audience gave the opportunity to create interesting levels and groupings.  

Make-up and costumes were just right as were the sound effects but the staging gave the lighting designer a challenge which resulted in what appeared to be dark patches upstage left and down stage left of centre.  

MD Maria McElroy headed a septet of skillful musicians who handled Miller’s ambitious score perfectly but I did have a problem hearing the lyrics, particularly in the first act.  

I couldn’t quite put my finger on whether it was the sound balance between orchestra and performers or not but, as the lyrics move the story on, I wasn’t quite sure at times what was actually happening.  

This cast was splendid.  With a powerful opening number sung by the dead miners (Dominic Bright, Richard Dodd, Neil Griffin and Tim Meikle), the story flashed briefly back to 1952 and the mine disaster on which the show is based.  The Dead Miners were involved throughout as they carried out the beautifully choreographed scene changes, moving around planks and ladders with almost balletic precision.  

Daniel Allgood as Pete rose to the challenges of the role extremely well particularly in his imaginary escapes with the father figures of his Hollywood heroes (all admirably embodied by Richard Dodd). 

In an exceptional performance, Torin Fahy put the kick into sidekick.  This young actor has a natural charm, a fine voice and a knack for delivering a comic line.  

There was also a very good performance from Rebecca Goddard as Frances the runaway who Pete and Dusty meet on their way to the mine.  This is a rather difficult role which was well handled.   

Jacob Nightingale as Pete’s big brother Jake gave a first-rate performance.  He has a natural ease on stage and possesses a fine voice.  

Matthew Brown as Jake’s friend and workmate Chet was equally good and there was a believable friendship between these two.

Pete achieves his objective in blowing up the mine.  The scenes that followed the explosion, which traps the young people and in which they see and interact with the Dead Miners, were excellent.  I wasn’t quite clear as to how the youngsters got out but I am glad they did.

Emily Starr is a talented and imaginative Director who brought her own vision to this WTG production, a vision carried through to fulfilment by Designer Barry Starr and the technical team, Musical Director Maria McElroy, the musicians and the cast.

Thank you Emily and Wilburton Theatre Group for inviting me to spend an interesting and enjoyable evening with The Burnt Part Boys.

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