REVIEW: Brassed Off - The Met, Bury.

PADOS {Prestwich Amateur Dramatic And Operatic Society} perform most of its season in its own bijoux studio theatre in Prestwich but the larger scale productions – usually the musicals – move out to Bury Met for its capacity audiences. This play requires an onstage brass band to achieve the emotive musical qualities that were effective in the film version – starring Ewan McGregor – but in the stage version, a competent set of brass players are demanded to literally blow the audience away. Luckily for us, Whitworth Vale and Healey Brass Band were more than up for the job.

The 1996 film of this show is based on real life events in the West Yorkshire village of Grimethorpe. The fictional village of the play is Grimley (near Barnsley, Yorkshire, England). It depicts a time of political unrest and despair when Thatcher 'ruled' Britain and collieries were forced to close- devastating communities with unemployment, poverty and hopelessness. Despite all of this, the village has a 100-year-old brass band proudly and determinedly led by the stalwart Danny - played with gravitas and aplomb by Stuart Forbes. Later in the show, the black humour of his impending death caused by industrial disease; after a lifetime of coal mining where his coal dust ravaged lungs outrun his huge heart; left most of the audience in tears. Well played throughout. Stuart showed control and contrast. His passion and commitment to his beloved band shone through.

Mark Rosenthal had assembled a competent and confident cast who breathed realism and humour into this gritty drama exploring the relationships and strains placed on a traditional mining town when its lifeblood is cut off with the imminent closure of its mine which also dooms its band.

Sara Brockway and Paul Dawson made for a very believable couple facing extreme strain as Sandra and Phil who are trying to feed four children with no money and with the loan sharks and bailiffs banging down their door forcing Phil to attempt suicide later in the play. This scene was poignantly played by Paul and the stagecraft and equipment was very effective as he leapt off with the noose around his neck. The super talented Elliot Mills who made his debut at PADOS this year in the adult musical, Big, played their son. What a talent to watch! Wide-eyed, confident, great engagement with the audience and lovely reactions showing an emotional range beyond his years as he played the key role and narrator of the piece opening and closing the play with his monologues to the audience.

I loved the other relationships between the other miners and their fraught, love-hate marriages played by Mike Sammon and Keith McEvoy and Angela Grady and Debbie Lewis, respectively. They had banter but light and shade in their acting; not quite having the guts to quit the band due to their economics whilst their wives work their guts out and man the picket-lines- whilst they drink what’s left of the family budget in the pub. The scene where the band – beautifully supported by Whitworth and Healey- process through the auditorium at a competition, gradually getting drunker and drunker throughout the day, as their results dropped lower and lower. The dissonant playing and the ad-libbing and participation of the band in the proceedings greatly enhanced the comedy value. Debbie and Angela’s acerbic one-liners to their husbands were well executed but showed the deep loyalty and commitment to ‘family’ and ‘values’ that is the core of this play.

Finally, the love interests, the young miner, Andy and his Gloria – playing a fiendishly difficult flugel horn solo for real – played by the lovely to watch Hannah Binns worked and played together with chemistry and good dynamics and Andy played by Gavin Stamper underplayed some aspects of his role really well so as not to overkill his obvious attraction to Gloria. They looked good together and the band scenes showed connection and growth in their relationship.

This was such a well performed piece of theatre which had an abundance of qualities: great acting, an amazing complimentary band to emotionally move the audience, a great set and lighting and swift direction. I have seen this play a couple of times before and thought it sluggish but not tonight. It was pacey, well directed and thought-through and despite being the first night came down before 10pm. Well done PADOS, yet another successful production well realised and achieved. The audiences for the rest of the week are in for ‘a reet good treat’.

Reviewer - Kathryn Gorton
on - 9/10/18