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Brassed Off
Presented by:
STAG &
Shepparton Brass Band
Date
Reviewed: 7th
February, 2009
Venue:
WestSide Performing Arts Centre,
Mooroopna
Reviewer:
Felicity Hill
On what was the hottest day on record in Victoria, I headed up to
the Westside Performing Arts Centre in Mooroopna, just outside of
Shepparton, to see the Victorian amateur premiere of ‘Brassed Off’.
The production combines the music of the Shepparton Brass Band with
the talent of the Shepparton Theatre Arts Group (STAG).
Adapted from the screenplay by Mark Herman, the play explores the
lives of striking British coal miners in the town of Grimley as they
struggle to stop the closure of the mine. Set during the turbulent
Thatcher years there are political undertones, however, it’s the
drama of everyday life in this working class community and the
triumphant rise of the local brass band to the national
championships that captures your attention.
We see Danny who has worked down the mine all his life and now
suffers from crippling pneumoconiosis (miner’s disease) as the
leader of the band. His son Phil and mates Jim, Harry and Andy are
all members of the band. Phil has four children, the oldest being
Shane who helps tell the story through narration. Phil’s wife is
Sandra who struggles to put food on the table and look after their
children. Her friends Vera and Rita try to do their bit to support
their husbands. Gloria, who grew up in Grimley and is now an
employee of the British Coal Board returns to her hometown to give a
report on whether the mine should remain open. She rekindles her
relationship with childhood sweetheart Andy but keeps her
association with the board a secret. Tension erupts when the mine is
closed and Gloria’s real reason for returning home is revealed. As
Danny’s condition worsens the community manage to put aside
differences and pull together to take their band to London for the
Nation finals.
I
was really looking forward to seeing this production as it promised
to be a bit different from your average play. I wasn’t disappointed.
From the moment the lights dimmed and Shane, played by Morgan Talbot
opened his mouth I knew I was in for something special. This young
man with his near perfect Yorkshire accent had the audience eating
from the palm of his hand. For such a young actor, Morgan handled
this large and challenging role with all the skills of a much
seasoned performer.
Rob Robson gave an impressive performance as Danny the leader of the
band. He was strongly supported by Chris Dainton who played Danny’s
son Phil with great passion. Phil’s mates were played by John Head
(Jim), Alan Talbot (Harry) and Steve Sargent (Alan) who all did a
wonderful job of portraying their characters. There was a great
chemistry between these boys. Deb Hall portrayed the role of Sandra,
Phil’s long suffering wife. Deb gave a very natural performance and
it’s hard to believe that this was her first role. Krystal Ryan
played the role of Gloria and managed to successfully combine her
acting skills with the challenge of playing a musical instrument.
Deb Hay and Fiona Kennan who played Vera and Rita, the wives of Jim
and Harry were delightful to watch.
Directors Donna Baldwin and Chris Dainton have obviously put a lot
of thought and hard work into this production. The attention to
detail is evident right throughout. I was particularly impressed
with the consistency of accents demonstrated by the entire cast.
This is not an easy accent to master and they managed to make it
sound very natural. I would have liked a little more pace in the
dialogue during the locker scene in act one but this is a very minor
gripe. Several characters had to play musical instruments in the
band and the audience would have had a hard time picking whether
they were really playing them or miming. I’m not really sure myself!
The set basically consisted of wire fencing on either side of the
brass band which was seated on stage for the entire play. The script
calls for many scene changes and this was dealt with by effective
pool lighting which enabled the actors to simply walk in and out of
a scene with ease. The costumes were very simple and basically ran
with a theme of black and various shades of red. This complimented
the mood and allowed the audience to really absorb the drama without
distraction.
There were many memorable scenes in this production. One moving
moment was when the minor’s band played ‘Danny Boy’ outside the
hospital where Danny lay gravely ill. Another was when Phil, in
utter despair at losing his home and family decides that suicide is
his only option. ‘Brassed Off’ takes you through a range of emotions
but it’s not depressing at all. Most of the time you’re tapping your
foot along with the band or laughing at the many one liners so
expertly delivered.
I
must make mention of two scene stealing moments for me. There’s a
scene where Phil, who is trying to earn extra bucks by being a clown
at kids parties, is practising his juggling (quite badly). Son Shane
watches. Phil finally gives up so Shane picks up the balls and
begins to juggle with the flair of a circus professional. Not sure
if that was scripted but it was a nice touch and a great opportunity
for Morgan Talbot to show off another of his talents. My other
favourite was when Jim, Harry and their wives had been at the pub
all night and had a few too many. John Head had the audience in
stitches with some of his drunken antics and superb delivery of
lines. Beautiful comic timing.
Donna and Chris are to be congratulated on putting together such an
outstanding production. With such a strong cast and the brass band
pumping out some great musical numbers, the audience was thoroughly
entertained. There is one more performance on March 9th –
see TP What’s On for more
details. This is a long play but if you can get to see this
production you won’t be disappointed. If you’re a fan of Billy
Elliot or The Full Monty you’ll really enjoy this. |