Brassed Off – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

The Octagon Theatre in Bolton resounds to the sound of beautiful Brass this Autumn as we open their new season with an adaptation by Paul Allen of the iconic 90’s film of the same name, exploring the effect of the Miners’ strike through the prism of the Colliery band. Set a decade after the seminal events of 1984, Director Liz Stevenson has successfully transferred some of the grit of the original to the stage and added wistful musicality to the mix, but the authenticity of working-class culture is missing, sacrificed on the altar of whimsical nostalgia and an inappropriate feel good ending.

The set design (Simon Kenny) evokes the disused grandeur of a closed coal mine, the broken Colliery wheel is suspended above a black circular stage, a conveyor littered with coal and acting as a ramp the only concession to scenery, discordant metallic noises mixed with brassy instrumentation providing the soundtrack.

One immediate difference in the stage adaptation is that we are introduced to the story through the eyes of Shane (Andrew Turner), a 40-year-old man looking back on thoughts of his family’s involvement in the events and his own memories of the time as a 9-year-old boy. As a device, the transposition to a memory play is not really successful, a great idea which quickly loses momentum and results in Turner spending large amounts of time redundant on the stage or acting as his nine-year-old incarnation. The notion completely disappears for large sections of the production, only resurrected at the conclusion and even then, providing no closure on the fates of the various characters, which would have at least given meaning to the decision to structure the piece in this fashion.

Through Shane we meet his parents Phil (Joey Hickman) and Sandra (Daniela Etchells), destitute for a decade after Phil’s imprisonment and blacklisted following the 1984 dispute, the resultant poverty causing mental health issues and marital strife. Hickman is notable as the increasingly broken Phil, culminating in a superbly bitter scene, a blazing speech denouncing Tory economics whilst dressed as Clown, ironically playing ‘Jerusalem on a broken trombone. Also, we see Shane’s view of his Grandad Danny (Russell Richardson), the Colliery band leader determined to salvage the pride of the village, driving the band through to competition finals at the Albert Hall (London – not Bolton), but blind to the division within the community he is leading.

The love interest is provided by Gloria (Hannah Woodward) and Andy (Barney Taylor) as a nascent Yorkshire version of Romeo and Juliet, initially divided by their loyalties to the NCB and the NUM until a saccharine conclusion is reached. Strong support is offered by the other miners with Harry (Matt Ian Kelly) and Jim (Greg Patmore) looking and sounding the part, not always the case with theatre actors in working class roles!

However, it is the female voices which resonate most strongly in this script, eschewing their subordinate position to emerge as the backbone of their community, Vera (Joanna Holden) and Rita (Maxine Finch) are by turns funny, bitter and sad as the women dealing with the results of actions in which they have limited input.

The undoubted strength of the production is its musicality with seven real members of Wingates and Eagley Brass Band drafted into the production and dotted throughout. In addition to adding authenticity to the playing of the score they are delightful as ensemble actors, gamely acting up during the drunken ‘banding’ scene, then switching professionally to deliver gorgeous renditions of ‘Nessun Dorma’, ‘Floral Dance’ and especially ‘William Tell Overture’. Easily worth the ticket price to hear the plaintive and hauntingly gorgeous music alone. Bravo indeed!

Along with ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘The Full Monty’, ‘Brassed Off’ provided a northern slant on the events of the 1980’s and ‘90’s that showed the devastating effects of Thatcherite policies with humour and pathos. This adaptation is a strong theatrical addition to that canon but strays too far towards the saccharine sweet at the conclusion to deliver the real punch it wants to land. Unfortunately for many of the communities subsequently blighted by deprivation, there was no happy ever after and the recent riots show we are still reaping the effects of this economic whirlwind thirty years after these events took place.

Reviewer: Paul Wilcox

Reviewed: 6th September 2024

North West End UK Rating: