Robert Tressell’s classic working-class novel was given a new twist with an adaptation by Gerard Fitzpatrick Howkins, Paul Strange and Richard Helm of Merlin Productions for an ensemble cast of over 60s actors.
The daily struggle for a group of painters and decorators to put bread on the table in Edwardian England is meticulously examined in the context of local and national politics lead by a capitalist society. The painters’ belief that a better life is ‘not for the likes of them’ is challenged by socialist and working-class hero Owen (John McHugh) who tries to persuade by argument that capitalism is the root cause of poverty and no amount of back-breaking work for low wages will improve their lives. The grumbling painters have been conditioned to believe in their ‘Betters’ and, often unemployed and in rent arrears, take work where they can get it at any pay.
The play shines a light on the nefarious dealings at every level of power, from the jumped-up foreman Hunter (Robert Smith) (who keeps one eye on the men and the other on his own profit) to the local council and members of parliament lining their own pockets by exploiting the workers. The play is set in the fictional town of Mugsborough around 1910 during the rise of the Labour Party before it had any MPs and The Liberals were the opposition to The Conservatives.
The slower pace under the direction of Howkins suited the six strong cast but they produce a lot of energy on a simple corner stage with a bare set. Props are minimal as the painters swipe brushes across an imaginary room in a three-storey house renovation project that the men call ‘The Cave’. Their brush strokes increase speed at the sight of their boss, Hunter, who wields his power unmercifully and dismisses and rehires men at lower rates of pay to make sure he’s always on budget and keep his own cash flow going. The ensemble cast work well together as they each take on a number of roles; none more so than Dawn Adams who plays no less than five different characters including a long-suffering wife and new mother, Ruth, who is forced to take in one of the painters as a lodger to help with arrears with drastic consequences. Turned down for Poor Relief, Ruth is heard muttering her belief that she would be better off dead and she is not the only one who thinks that would be a better fate. The whole play is a preamble to the final harrowing but moving scene that captures the ultimate acceptance of their lot and the inability of the workers to see a different world.
They have condensed a great deal in this shorter version of the play without compromising the tale and despite the dark themes managed to leave the audience uplifted by the enthusiastic performance of the entire cast.
Reviewer - Barbara Sherlock
on - 19/7/19
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