Close the Coalhouse door is our story; but what next?

Posted by wadds On April 15th, 2012 / No Comments

 

“Close the coalhouse door, lad. There’s blood inside.”

We’re very good at social history in the North East of England. But then we’ve got a lot of material to draw upon. It’s a point that a young pitman makes in the new production of Close the Coalhouse Door.

The stage play by Alan Plater, based on the books of Sid Chaplin and music of Alex Glasgow opened at Northern Stage in Newcastle on Friday night. It’s a joint production with Live Theatre directed by Sam West.

Almost 200 years of coal mining history are told via a family party. Strikes, economic ups and downs, government changes and the nationalisation of the mines are the key signposts along the way.

The play is set in 1968. It’s only in the closing minutes that the story is brought up to date and we have the chance to reflect through the lens of very recent history thanks to additional material by Lee Hall.

The mines are gone, the slag heaps been grassed over and as the audience is acutely aware replacement industries have had limited success. But what comes next? And was the pitman’s struggle worth the comfort of a call centre? It’s a powerful conclusion that brings the audience up sharp.

The actors all combine their theatrical roles with music and song with wonderful results. There are cracking performances from Chris Connel as Jackie, Louisa Farrant as Ruth, Adam Barlow as the vicar, and David Nellist as Geordie.

Tarek Merchant was missing from the line-up in his role of the Expert, replaced by director Sam West and musical supervisor Sam Kenyon. The show will inevitably bed down as it settles into the Northern Stage this week and Merchant returns.

The production clearly connected with the audience in Newcastle. Extra dates have already been added. But then it’s very much our story. Our landscape and living memories remain scarred by the pit closures.

On 9 May it sets off around the country in a bid to repeat the international success of Live Theatre’s Pitmen Painters. I hope that it is well received by audiences outside the North East. If you have the chance you must go and see it. The show deserves to be a success.