CityLife

The Glee Club

OCTOBER RUN: Glee Club

ROGER Haines’ marvellous new production of Richard Cameron’s play-with-songs opens with an exhilirating acapella burst of Side By Side from its six-strong male cast and never lets the audience out of its grip until the play’s bitter-sweet conclusion.

It’s set in Edlington, a South Yorkshire mining village, in 1962.

All six – Jack Horsfall (Stephen McGann) Scobie Glossop (John Elkington), Walt Hemmings (Jack Lord), Bantam (Philip Cox), Colin Wrigglesworth (Robert Emms) and pianist Phil Newsome (Andrew Whitehead) – work down the local pit – what eels are they going to do? - and are also members of an acapella singing group, singing at local events to raise money for charity.

But their musical diet of Mario Lanza and the likes is already slipping from public favour as a whole new breed of pop groups are about to sweep the charts and their youngest member, Colin (who also narrates) is already succumbing to the lure of the guitar and potential pop stardom.

Theirs is a close-knit group, in a close-knit community, but hard times are on the way.

Indiscretions

Sackings, sexuall indiscretions and small-town talk might yet rent the group asunder, but in the meantime they’re going to sing their hearts out and enjoy a few pints and fags, as well as a lot of banter.

This is very much an old-fashioned man’s world and you should be warned that there is some strong language and also some remarkably unselfconscious male nudity in scenes set in the pit showers.

But it’s also a tremendously moving and involving story, full of laughter, tears and tunes, splendidly acted by a genuine ensemble cast and directed with considerable aplomb and inveention by Haines.

Highly recommended.

The Glee Club runs to Saturday, October 18.  For tickets ring 0161 236 7110.