Brassed Off review – a thrilling tale of coal and horns that moves a Yorkshire audience to tears | stage

ICuriously, most of these Yorkshire stories have never been performed in a Leeds theatre. This is handled with grit and humanity by director Amy Leach and her stunning production of Paul Allen’s play based on Mark Herman’s 1996 film.

The Playhouse’s Quarry is a massive, critical space that demands epic storytelling. With the name suggesting it was dug from the ground, it’s easy to see why Leach thought the coal mine story was perfect for this stage.

The most compelling and dazzling aspect of the production is the extraordinary tableau created by Katie Scott’s design, a multi-level steel staircase that leads up to the massive wheels of the mine in its depths. The wonderful opening choreography sees men cutting coal and looking as if they are raising a flag on Iwo Jima. It’s an apt sign: What follows is a battle for jobs, dignity, pride and, in some cases, life.

While Margaret Thatcher was the story’s greatest enemy in the mid-1990s, the production adds political speeches and images of several recent prime ministers, from Boris Johnson to Rishi Sunak, suggesting that she In addition to change For the northern working classes. “Ordinary workers” are still at the bottom of the slag heap.

The play tells the story of Grimley Colliery and the brass band associated with it. When the mine is threatened with closure, and the men vote to strike or accept their fate, the question that really hangs over them is: If the mine closes will the band still play?

Surely you know the ending. The novel required rousing brass music, and Leitch enlisted members of the Horbury Victoria and Wakefield Metropolitan brass bands to swell the numbers of actors and musicians. When they play, the chest of every local in the hall swells as well.

There are moments when the story lacks nuance, but with the material, Leitch does a good job of leading the band’s leader Danny (David Birrell), a gruff Yorkshireman; The dazzling Danielle Henry as the terrifying Sandra; And the ever-reliable Andy Cryer as Jim, who, like much of the audience, was moved to tears by the accompanying brassy finale.