"Boys From The Blackstuff" by Alan Bleasdale.

Derby Theatre.

Bill Kenwright Ltd presents the Liverpool’s Royal Court and National Theatre production of Alan Bleasdale’s "Boys From The Blackstuff" by James Graham in this Nationwide tour. 

I can remember watching this as a youngster on TV. Set in early 1980's Liverpool it concerns a group of Liverpudlian tarmac layers (hence the title, "the black stuff" being a slang term for tarmac). Five working class men struggling to keep afloat amidst the recession, the constant interrogation from the department of unemployment ("sniffers") and hiding off the books work from the department’s spies, it is a battle for survival.

The serial was written by Alan Bleasdale as a sequel to a television play titled "The Black Stuff". The British Film Institute described it as a "seminal drama series... a warm, humorous but ultimately tragic look at the way economics affect ordinary people… TV's most complete dramatic response to the Thatcher era and as a lament to the end of a male, working class British culture."

Chrissie, whose marriage is under pressure, is played by George Caple. You get to see the extent that unemployment does to this pair in the second act when there's a full on argument about Chrissie not accepting a paid job due to his pride and respect for his colleagues who were also working off the books.

Angie, Chrissie's wife, is played by Amber Blease. It gets that bad within this family that an argument explodes after Chrissie gives a few slices of stale bread to his pet bird. Angie explains that the bread was for their two kids and that everything in the sparse kitchen was stale but that was all they had. This argument was full of fire and passion, but also shows the frustration with the family. This role is the most prominent female role throughout, and in the TV series was played by Julie Walters.

Loggo, the second-generation immigrant, is played by Jurell Carter, who you may recognise as Nate from Emmerdale, and makes his theatrical debut in this play. After realising that there was nothing that he would miss about Liverpool, Loggo decided to travel to Shetlands. I'm not sure whether the links with this character and Jurell are intended but Jurell, who was born in Leicester actually studied and graduated at The Liverpool Insitute for Performing Arts (LIPA), and Loggo was obviously raised in Liverpool, due to the accent on stage, which was an accurate representation of the Liverpool brogue. Also, when Nate left Emmerdale, he was supposed to have gone to The Shetlands, and this is where he was heading at the end of the play. Coincidence or what?

George Malone, played by Ged McKenna is a wonderful, old school character who becomes more ill throughout the play. When his son dies in an accident in Middlesborough, his health goes downhill until......

Reiss Barber plays Snowy Malone, a man who takes great pride in his plastering skills, even going as far as to sign his work, just like the great artists. Snowy dies while trying to escape a social security raid while on a job and his death is a significant event in the play, highlighting the hardships and struggles faced by working-class characters in the Liverpool area. 

Dixie Dean, the Foreman, is played by Mark Womack. Dixie has a sense of right and wrong, even though he is moonlighting as a security guard on the docks when he discovers that there's a racket going on with others who like to get first dibs on the stuff that is coming in and going out on the ships. Dixie refuses, at first, the offer of new boots, but is seen later in the play wearing them.

Kyle Harrison-Pope plays Kevin Dean, the son of Dixie Dean, who is introduced into the group a little later on in the play.

Yosser Hughes, whose catchphrase was heard on every street and playground at the time was "Gizza Job" is played by Jay Johnson. there was even a record released under the title "Gizza Job", which goes to show what an impact the TV Series and Yosser, who was played in the TV series by the late Bernard Hill, made on the country.

This character is the most broken, and the most desperate to fit into society with a job, hence his catchphrase. If things don't go well for him, his response is with violence and to nut the other person. Nowadays men's mental health is quite openly discussed but back in the 1980s it was practically unheard of, or at least not recognised as such. Jay shows us through Yosser how easy this can spiral, and there's a scene when he is arrested by the police for yet another assault that becomes the most alarming scene in the whole play.

Ms Sutcliffe, who is in charge of "sniffing out" those who may be working while receiving unemployment benefit, is played by Sian Polhill-Thomas. She sticks to the dole office script when investigating and interviewing the men, but at the end we see a very different side of the play's character. 

Jamie Peacock plays Donald Moss. He is fairly new to the workings of the unemployment office and is eager for the chase and to show what he can do, so Ms Sutcliffe provides him with that opportunity, by putting him in charge of his own locality to sniff out the rats. This obviously does not go down well on his first case when the lads spot him and recognise him.

Graham Elwell is Malloy in Thursday's production, standing in for Sean Kingsley. Malloy is described as a deplorable building site manager. He is a figure of authority who employs characters like Chrissie, Dixie, Yosser, Loggo, and George. 

Elliott Kingsley and Victoria Oxley make up the ensemble and the cast also play various other characters throughout the play.

Although this story is rooted in 1980's political culture, the story of unemployment and tightening of one's belt, as well as immigration issues are exactly the same as today's economical climate; some things just never change, showing this situation and story to be as relevant today as it was forty years ago.

Directed by Kate Wasserberg who manages to bring that dark and depressive feel to the stage. The scene that I alluded to earlier regarding Yosser and the police was created so well. The whole scene is done in slow motion with everyone's pace matching. If this had not been in front of my eyes, I would have thought that it was a pre filmed section because the intensity of the scene was simply jaw dropping. You managed to get every ounce of pain and passion that was embedded into that one section.

Act One was almost like a constant montage of smaller scenes which depicted the past and present situations that led up to the what was then the future which was the purpose of the whole of the second act. This in itself made the play a pacy affair and delivered a lot of information through these snapshots of the characters' lives.

Set and Costume Design is by Amy Jane Cook. The set was bordered by girders to give the atmosphere of the dock and heavy working environment. The other scenes were brought into place with great pace.

Lighting Design is by Ian Scott. There's a nice comparative blend of dark and light which also reflects the mood for that specific section of the play.

The Original Music and Sound Design is by Dyfan Jones. There are some lovely use of folk songs and sea shanties, as well as original pieces in this drama, all delivered by the cast as soundbites. This created a unity in the men's work and family life while also creating that dark air of depression as well as more upbeat parts.

Video Design is by Jamie Jenkin and this is what you get to see from even before the play starts. Scenes that I assumed showed the black and white River Mersey and the docklands around that area. There's also a very poignant piece depicting the death of Snowy, again making a big impact.

I was around in time to remember this area of depression and the frustration of not having enough money to live on, so this play brings back many memories for me. It also serves as a very accurate history lesson to others who were not around for this period of history. It's also a frightening reminder that in the current political and economic climate that these scenarios may just be around the corner. 

I've always loved the grittiness and the realism of Northern writers like Alan Bleasdale and this is one of his finest. Team this quality of work with James Graham as playwright and this is a brilliant Northern tour de theatrical force. If the name James Graham seems to ring a bell, his most recent work was "Punch" that was recently showcased at Nottingham Playhouse and is now in the west End and is headed for America. Graham also wrote the TV series "Sherwood".

"Boys From The Blackstuff" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 19 April.