Book review: Blackpool, What A S*it Place to Die …..and other plays by Phil Pearson

Phil Pearson is a playwright who found his calling when he began working as a journalist.

He realised that all his life, he had loved words, and recalls discovering Arthur Miller’s brilliant play Death of A Salesman at night school and thinking to himself that he wanted to write plays.

Ten years later, he has a new collection of plays that he has written, including his most famous one, which was stage again recently, Blackpool, What a Shit Place to Die!

Blackpool, What A S*it Place to Die

When you read this one in print, you can see the immediacy of the language and just how much one actor has to remember. And the words leap off the page, with a sense of urgency, as the protagonist Billy’s life is a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode.

The Past Keeps On Coming is a monologue which was written in lockdown and it was produced as a short film, as theatres were closed. Again, Pearson can grab you and pull you in. His protagonist Rosa O’Connor says: “I hate my lifeless skin and how my hair is going as grey as a seagull’s back.” This is Phil’s trademark, as he can conjure up vivid imagery, and less is more.

Live Forever

Live Forever is a play based on Anne Logan-Huxtable’s book 17 Days, which is the true story of her late son, Dan Logan. There is an irony in the use of an Oasis song, as the play’s title, as we follow a young lad, filled with hope as he prepares for university. Then he receives a cancer diagnosis which turns his life upside down.

What Pearson nails here, is the speed in which this cruel disease takes hold, leaving the lad unable to recognise, who he has become. Poignant and the play highlights the value of the small things we see and do that we take for granted.

I Want to Marry Johnny Marr

I Want to Marry Johnny Marr takes you back to the heyday of Top of the Pops, and the excitement of discovering a new band. Reading the descriptions of Morrissey singing This Charming Man, gladioli in hand, and the reaction that a new fan has, is completely involving and very nostalgic.

It also highlights that representation matters, if you see someone who talks like you and looks like you doing something amazing, it could inspire you to do the same. Think about how many people have taken up the guitar, seeing their working-class heroes play like life depends on it.

What links Phil Pearson’s plays is that they never feel like they are written. It feels as if you have dropped into a living room and you are listening to what is happening, but no one knows you are there.

He never sugarcoats the experience of his working-class protagonists, but there are glimmers of hope in the smallest of actions or acts of kindness.

If you love Manchester for its vibes, music and it’s the ability to get knocked down and get back up again and live forever, I recommend this spirited and lively collection of his work.

Where to buy Blackpool, What A Sh*t Place to Die …..and other plays by Phil Pearson

Blackpool, What A Sh*t Place to Die …..and other plays by Phil Pearson is available to buy from Kitchen Sink Media by clicking here

You can also get a copy from Chorlton Bookshop by clicking here