Gerry Sewell Review – A Tragic Search for Newcastle United Season Ticket | stage

THis story of two miscreants in Gateshead, who dream of securing a Newcastle United season ticket by hook or crook, epitomizes hope in the face of adversity. Adapted from the award-winning book (which also became the film Purely Belter), this play has its own rags-to-riches story. Written and directed by Jamie Eastlake, the film begins in a 60-seat social club on North Tyneside in 2022. Now, here it is in the West End, full of colorful characters, and biting, in-your-face demotic commentary on the political betrayals of this region, which have sapped its resources – and sometimes its very hope.

Jonathan Tulloch’s original novel, Season Pass, was published in 2000, but it could have been written for our age of austerity, although its tone oscillates between comedy and tragedy. The exploits of disenfranchised young friends Gerry (Dean Logan) and Sewell (Jack Robertson) – whether they’re scouring the banks of the Tyne in search of things to sell or pulling off robberies – are juxtaposed with a dark family drama involving poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism and sexual abuse.

Eastlake tries to capture it all, adding song and dance. There are lively performances and effective choreography (by Lucy Marie Carey and Sean Moon) with a band wearing masks. There are also some boldly romantic spoken word poems. But the text as a whole is messy and incoherent, its different parts drifting apart from each other.

Some of the numbers work, especially those sung by Gerry’s sister Claire (Chelsea Halfpenny), an aspiring singer. But the sudden bursts of music, club tunes and pop songs do not advance the story and cause confusion at times.

There are a few strong family scenes in the second half, especially those featuring Jerry’s other elusive sister, Bridget (Erin Mullen), including one monologue with shades of Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splot. But these are isolated and diluted by long comedy diversions about a dog that Jerry and Sewell adopt. There is humour, meta-comedy and jokes about Sunderland, which seems to be trying too hard to turn this into a feel-good thing when it could gain depth by embracing the darkness of the story more fully. The Season Pass story eventually comes to an end and some of the main plotlines remain vague.

However, there are sparks of brilliance and a lot of potential – plus a lot of heart and soul.