Stimulating Theatre

Last night we visited the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. We have been going for many years, during which time we have seen some exceptional productions and a very few that should never have seen the light of day. Yesterday was very interesting as what I had expected was a musical, what I got was one of the most overtly political evenings that I have experienced in the theatre.

The play was titled “Reasons to be Cheerful” and was described as a raucous musical featuring the hits of Ian Dury and the Blockheads. So far so good, I was expecting a musical run through the life of Ian Dury interspersed with songs. Note here for foreign readers and those of a certain age, Ian Dury and the Blockheads were a rock and roll group of the late seventies, though perhaps they defied simple genre classification. They occupied a space between rock and roll and punk. What was most striking were their lyrics, a typical example of which was "I had a love affair with Nina, In the back of my Cortina. A seasoned-up hyena could not have been more obscener". There records were frequently banned by the BBC but have since achieved recognition and respectability. Spasticus Autisticus a polemic against the patronising nature of society towards disability was banned, but thirty years later was used in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

So the production had great music to work with, albeit within a sentimental script. The cast brought huge vitality to the play, and what was significant was the theatre company Graeae promote the use of disabled actors. Dury himself was affected by childhood polio and some of his lyrics reflect this. My daughter has met the founder of this company and found her inspirational. Certainly last night they performed with a verve that I have seldom seen in the theatre. To have an audience of middle class Yorkshire people on their feet chanting “Sex and Dugs and Rock roll” while simultaneously thrusting with their pelvis was one of my more surreal theatre experiences.

Two things really stood out for me, one was the social history; the musical was set in the East End of London in 1979. What it portrayed was the white working class culture of the area and its overspill into Essex. Lyrics were littered with place names. However when I started to think about this I realised that this was now history, a newer Muslim immigrant community now dominates the areas it portrayed. Socially and culturally they are unrecognisable from Dury’s time, so the play acted for me as nostalgic although not schmaltzy social history.

The musical ended with a political number written by the company. This was essentially a protest song against the lack of government support for people with disabilities. It was a powerful song with some interesting graphics. Two things stood out. When a picture of Theresa May was shown the audience booed. Several right wing figures were portrayed as the devil, but here I parted way with the company, juxtaposing Nigel Farage and Tony Blair in this way I thought was facile. Whatever ones opinion of Blair’s Iraq adventure, society under his government became more equal, many social issues were tackled in a way that they have not been since.

Overall though I suppose that this is what good theatre is supposed to do, to challenge and stimulate debate and thought. It is in this respect that I wish the Graeae Company every success, and will certainly try to see their productions in future.