Close The Coalhouse Door – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Close The Coalhouse Door – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Writer: Alan Plater with additional material by Lee Hall, Based on stories by Sid Chaplin

Director: Samuel West

Musical arrangement and direction: Sam Kenyon

Reviewer: Paul Thurtle

The Public Reviews Rating:

Lee Hall (Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters) provides the additional material for this revival of Alan Plater’s 1968 musical play about the struggles of the mining union in the north east of England from the early 19th century onwards.
This is a play that from the moment it begins reaches out to the audience and grabs their attention. The very talented and very skilled cast are totally relaxed in their roles. Whether singing, playing instruments or acting, each cast member makes a unique contribution to this moving and engaging production.
The tale is a bleak one. The imparting of dates and events concerning the history of mining could have turned into a dry history lesson however this never happened. The clever use of humour and music proves to be a brilliant way of bringing the story to life.
There is a wonderful chemistry between the cast members who were able to ad lib and to make funny little quips between themselves and the audience. This had the added effect of drawing the audience in.
A 1968 play could seem dated however the only old fashioned thing about this play is it has a beginning, middle and end and is a cracking good story.
Adam Barlow was a charming guitar playing vicar. His Harold Wilson was a crowd pleaser. The story was held together and moved on by three cast members: Jackie (Chris Connel) was funny and treated us to some super songs. Geordie (David Nellist) had a stock of jokes some of which felt like they came from last year’s Christmas crackers. His delivery and timing never failed to make the audience laugh (or groan). The third member of the trio, Thomas, was superbly played by Nicholas Lumley. His impersonation of Lloyd George was very clever and the comment ‘Was that Welsh’ raised yet another laugh.
Louisa Farrant (Ruth), Jack Wilkinson (Frank) and Paul Woodson (John) were a love triangle which added another element to the story. As the story built up there was great tension between these characters culminating in a very moving scene at the climax of the play.
Mary (Jane Holman) gave an amazing performance. She has an incredible voice, was an excellent percussionist, ukulele player and bass guitar player.
Guiding us through the story was our ‘expert’ (Tarek Merchant). As with all the cast his performance was excellent and contributed to making the play such a good piece of theatre. He skillfully imparted the background history and context in an engaging and playful way that was never boring.
The set was very cleverly designed by Soutra Gilmour and worked well. The revolving stage was put to good use and the cast’s clever movements meant scene changes were swift and every prop had a use. James Farncombe’s atmospheric lighting served the play well.
The strong pro-union and left wing story was well received in Guildford and the last scene seemed to really resonate with the audience. The applause and standing ovation gave the cast the strong message that they had performed well and that their audience appreciated their work.
This play really makes you think: the story and music move you. The humour and the cast members grip you and they hold your attention from start to finish. Along with ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘The Pitman Painters’, ‘Close the Coalhouse Door’ forms a trio of works about the plight of miners. The link between them is Lee Hall and he never fails to tell a jolly good story however sad or bleak, funny or moving it might be.

Runs until 2nd June then continues UK tour until 30th June

The Public Reviews