Spring and Port Wine – Octagon Theatre

When the Octagon Theatre announced it was producing ‘Spring and Port Wine’ as its first show of 2023 I jumped at the opportunity to make the short trip to Bolton to review. In the two years since its £12 million refurbishment, and under the Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham, the Octagon has quietly been adding to an already strong reputation as one of the most interesting and innovative theatres in the north of England. With ‘Spring and Port Wine’ they have brought a quintessentially Boltonian story back to its roots, delighting this partisan opening night crowd into a raucous standing ovation at the conclusion.

Writer Bill Naughton is often wrongly categorised as part of a group of playwrights who came to prominence in Britain in the early 1960’s’, the ‘angry young men’, responsible for the short lived but intensely exciting ‘new wave’ of British theatre and cinema in the early 1960’s. Originally disparaged as merely  ‘kitchen sink drama’  by critic David Sylvester (a Londoner, naturally), this phrase became a badge of honour as the decade progressed and is now seen as a high water mark for artistic creativity in post war Britain. Whilst it is true this play, and Naughton’s other most famous work ‘Alfie’, do share a similarity in outlook and a focus on the society’s changing attitudes and social mores, he has a much more gentle approach than Osborne or Sillitoe and utilises gentle humour within the family dynamic, rather than polemicize to make his point.

We are introduced to the Crompton family through Mother Daisy (Mina Anwar) followed by her four children Florence (Monica Sagar), Harold (Charlie Ryan), Hilda (Natalie Blair) and Wilfred (Gabriel Clark), all awaiting the return from work of their stern patriarch Rafe (Les Dennis). Rafe runs a tight ship and his control within the family unit is absolute, but attitudes are shifting and what we witness over the ensuing weekend is a family reflecting the breakdown of the established order in wider society, changing into something far more fluid and recognisably ‘modern’.

Director Lotte Wakeham manages to bring relevance to a script that in certain parts creakes and shows its age. The famous ‘herring scene’ around the dinner table feels especially apposite with a cost of living crisis currently raging, Harold’s assertion that ‘days of starvation and want in Britain are long gone’, bring wry and knowing laughter from the audience. The decision to stage the production in the round also works extremely well, we peer down into the Crompton living room like nosey neighbours perched above, with the Set Design by Katie Scott a perfect replica of the chintzy decor of the period. My only issue was the decision to move the timeline to early 1966 rather than the original late 1950’s in which the play was originally set, it made some of the references (the hunger marches) and the consequent chronology jar – all the children would have to have been in their early 30’s – and some judicious changes to the script could have alleviated this issue. The play feels more correct placed in its original milieu, a society on the cusp of change rather than in the throes of it.

Mina Anwar gave a standout performance as Daisy, watching her as a woman slowly spinning out of control before regaining her self-esteem and pride was a masterful portrayal from this increasingly accomplished actress (Jamie,Shirley Valentine, Life of Pi) incorporating farce and pathos equally. The scene with her putting her dissolute neighbour Betsy-Jane (Isabel Ford) in her place was especially satisfying and Ford supported excellently with a slapstick performance alongside all the predominantly young cast. Blair on her professional debut especially catching the eye with a sassy and vigorous portrayal of the rebellious Hilda, every parent in the audience having experienced the ‘eye roll’ she perfectly employed.

However, the production centres around the character of Rafe, its success reliant on whether we are convinced that this unyielding disciplinarian can morph into something approximating a modern dad. Whilst Les Dennis struggled to convince as a frightening patriarch, he brought a strong understanding to the transformation, choosing to emphasise the wily way in which, by the conclusion he still retains control over his family without having to resort to hectoring and bullying. The recognition that his days of trying to do ‘good by force’ are over works well, giving the slightly saccharine ending to the play more subtly and genuine warmth.

The Octagon has produced this play on five other occasions in the six decades since its opening in 1967 and this latest incarnation shows every sign of surpassing its predecessor’s popularity in its northern heartland. The threat to the future of Oldham Coliseum – like the Octagon, a theatre that should be benefitting from central funding and so called ‘levelling up’ – shows how precarious the future of regional theatre is, so it is testament to the creative team at Bolton they are able to programme both popular revivals and new works in such a creative manner. This play demonstrates that there is still an audience for quality, productions outside the M25 and despite it being well past pensionable age, its core message still has relevance to modern society, cleverly disguised in a warm family drama.

Playing until 4th March, https://octagonbolton.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/spring-and-port-wine/

Reviewer: Paul Wilcox

Reviewed: 7th February 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★