Review: Brassed Off at the Bolton Octagon is ‘full of true grit, beauty and emotion’

The plight of miners and the way that ordinary working-class people stood up against the establishment, continues to fascinate and engage audiences, and it strikes a continuous nerve with them.

It is easy to see why, as people’s way of lives were being threatened and their families and communities were built around the mines.

The film Pride is currently being workshopped into a musical stage version.

Billy Elliot has been a hit in cinemas and in theatres, and the recent documentary Strike: An Uncivil War is a stunning piece of work.

It explores how raw this remains for those who lived through these uncertain times, whereby everything they knew was taken away from them, including their rights.

Brassed Off at Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Brassed Off celebrates the power of music to stir, move and convey emotion, when you are backed into a corner with nowhere to turn and you seek escapism.

The brass band in question, is strongly linked to the mining town and provides families with the glue, to bring them together in times of adversity and strife.

They may be living off handouts and the kindness of others, but they can also come together and focus on creating a beautiful noise and make a name for themselves, when they are feeling forgotten and spent.

Director Liz Stevenson really homes in on acts of kindness within the community, as Matthew Warchus does with the film Pride.

And this means when the band plays on, you become genuinely moved by the likes of “Land of Hope and Glory.”

A character says, ‘if these were people were seals, you would feel sympathy for them’ and this resonates against the backdrop of the recent Grenfell enquiry, as working-class people’s safety is compromised, when just down the road, you can see luxurious flats which are protected from the elements and intruders.

Their crime is the fact that they hold none of the power.

The pace in the first half of the play struggles to build as smoothly, as you would like. And this is partly because the character of Shane narrates, as a young boy, played by an adult actor (Andrew Turner) and it slows the plot down and adds nothing narratively speaking.

What about the characters?

Turner does a good job, but this device needs an opposite actor playing a child. Instead, he must act alongside two child actors and the effect is a tad creepy.

Joey Hickman conveys the tears of a clown beautifully as his character – Phil’s life becomes suffocating, as the bills pile up and the fight to keep his job becomes out of reach.

Matt Ian Kelly and Greg Patmore make a brilliant double act, as two loyal pals.

As do their respective partners played with energy to spare by Joanna Holden and Maxine Finch.

Daneka Etchells (Sandra) role is mainly to react to her husband’s lack of foresight and you long for her to have something funny to say, as this is a character who is here to speak common sense, and you long for her to more to do than circle the stage like a prophet of doom.

Barney Taylor and Hannah Woodward have chemistry as Andy and Gloria, and when a wedge comes between them, their loyalties are tested.

Russell Richardson is a force to be reckoned with and his character Danny is a ruby in the dust of the fading colliery.

He is the voice of reason but also offers the band members some home truths. After they play the Helson Floral Dance like robots, he gives them something to chew on, describing the performance as “A load of bloody crap.”

“Richardson brings anger, fire, unending optimism and hope”

Richardson brings anger, fire, unending optimism and hope, even though inside, his character is as scared as the others. And when he is on stage, Brassed Off has northern heart and soul.

Simon Kenny’s set and costumes have a suitable make do and mend appeal to them and that is perfect for these hard times.

The Eagley and Windgates Brass Band members bring real poignancy to the piece, as when they play, your heartstrings are gently tugged, but you never feel manipulated, and their marvelous music fills the auditorium.

Brassed Off is a lesser piece than Billy Elliot and Pride, as it does tend to go around in circles.

But there are moments and scenes which hit you were it hurts.

And I defy anyone not to have ‘something in their eye’ during Danny’s powerful and emotive speech.

Ultimately, there is enough true grit in this production to make you feel rage, passion and empathy for these brave characters. And you cannot say that every time you binge a show yet another raved about show on Netflix.

Tickets for Brassed Off at the Octagon Theatre

Brassed Off is at the Octagon Theatre until 28^th September and you can book tickets here