The Pitmen Painters @ Darlington Civic

A extraordinary tale of ordinary folk

The Pitmen Painters is a wonderful story, written by Lee Hall, based on true events and charting the life & times of a group of coal miners (and a dental mechanic) from Northumberland who decide to broaden their skills and embrace art &  painting.  Initially hoping to be taught how to understand the messages hidden in classic paintings, this bunch of pitmen found that the professor they had engaged through the WEA had a different idea – no lectures and slide shows, instead they would be the  ones doing the painting.  Through this, they learned to appreciate the emotional attachment between artist and canvas and how the true meaning of any painting lies within the person observing it.

The play builds on the real spirit of the North East; set in the 1920s to just after the 2^nd World War, the language, culture and sheer reason-for-being all lie in the pit village microcosm which was so very prevalent until the  closure of the mines in the mid 1980’s.  Everyone knew everyone and acted just like one huge family; strengths were exploited, weaknesses mocked and those who dared to break the mould were reminded in no uncertain terms of their place – but it was all done with love & affection as only a family can.  The play obviously has to pick and choose which elements to include to progress the story and which to leave out to avoid clichéd stoicism but by centring the action in the miners army hut there is good reason for it to just be the 5 lads and their painting.

Being a miner in the early 20^th century was the most dangerous occupation in the country – men often had to witness their colleagues, friends and family killed and maimed in horrific accidents yet inspite, or maybe because, of this their humour shone through.  The script captures this perfectly and the laughs are delivered through the realistic actions and reactions, not from scripted jokes.  In particular the scene where Susan Parks (played by Catherine Dryden) a young lady, is due to pose as a real life nude model for the guys is hilarious.  Each character is so well formed and instantly recognisable that you feel you know them personally but more importantly the core values & drivers relevant to the [ost war years all hold up to scrutiny; thankfully it doesn’t try to subject modern day morals on the audience and there is still a sense of pride, of decency and of ‘being proper’ regardless of the accents and slang used.

Hall can be sentimental, as anyone who has seen Billy Elliot knows. But here, sentiment is kept in check by political reality, raw as the Northumbrian wind. In the play's final moments, after the pit is nationalised, the cast sing "Gresford", the miner's hymn and look forward to a bright new tomorrow of socialism – of course, we know how the future really panned out.

If you haven’t seen this play yet (where have you been ??) then take a trip down to Darlington Civic Theatre, enjoy the very warm welcome & hospitality of the staff there and sit back and be thoroughly entertained by the Pitmen Painters.