**** (4 stars)
“A tale of sheer bloody-mindedness”
In 1981 I was living in England, bringing up two small children, and like everyone else struggling to come to terms with Maggie Thatcher’s approach to labour relations. I have to confess to being largely unaware of the momentous goings-on in the Lee jeans factory in Greenock, and am profoundly grateful to all those concerned in bringing this story to the stage. in deeply troubled times, it’s good to be reminded that ‘little people’ can make a difference and that it’s possible for a few people to stick together and resist the power and arrogance of massive multinational corporations.
In 1981, the factory in Greenock was profitable, its American owners having taken full advantage of the financial inducements on offer from the British government for the past ten years. Was it pure coincidence that at this point some of the factory’s operations were moved to Northern Ireland, where new tax incentives were on offer? How come the workers were being told that they would be made redundant and the factory closed after the statutory 90 days’ notice? This at a time when jobs were increasingly scarce, money incredibly tight, and union power was being steadily eroded…
What unfolds is a tale of sheer bloody-mindedness and refusal to be intimidated or to give in to pressure. The mostly female workforce agreed to a sit-in and, despite the cowardly refusal of their trade union to get involved, they made their story public and received huge support from many other people, even though they too were suffering in the aggressively anti-union atmosphere of Maggie’s Britain.
It might seem that this is a grim tale with all too little light – but what NTS has produced is an inspiring and engrossing illustration of what feisty women [and a few men] can achieve if they put their minds to it. Five women and one man play many parts – and many instruments, too – in this production which crackles with wit and gallows humour. A raucously lively succession of 1980s songs, many with new words created by the strikers, and a seemingly endless procession of characters interacting with the main protagonists, drive this narrative forward until the final moments invite us to consider what we could profitably learn from this David and Goliath true story.
The cast’s talents leave me speechless. Quite apart from the rapid costume- and accent-changes performed by most of them, their musical abilities are highly impressive as they swap instruments and vocal styles and lines in this almost continuous high-octane performance. My hat’s off to Aron Dochard – his gangly teen Finlay is in strong contrast to his Belfast manager Charters and much older Jimmy who’s probably carrying a torch for young Maggie, while his chinless and spineless union head honcho is priceless: and he can sing and play a mean guitar, too! Madeline Grieve beats the hell out of her drum kit while also inhabiting many roles, and musical director Shonagh Murray provides strong keyboard and vocal backing, occasionally coming centre stage with her piano accordion.
Hannah Jarrett-Scott is the strong, capable support person who does all the unglamorous but essential jobs within the sit-in, not least the thankless task of wrangling people into rotas to ensure all the tasks are covered all the time while ensuring that they have enough time to deal with the rest of their lives – small wonder Cathie’s at times very snippy about her younger sister’s lively, happy-go-lucky approach to the whole business.
Chiara Sparkes lights up the stage with her performance as Maggie Wallace – she gets everyone going with her energy and enthusiasm, and we watch with pride and satisfaction her gradual maturation from irresponsible teen to self-assured spokesperson for the striking women. And boy, can she belt a good song! The whole narrative is driven by the music, and for anyone who wasn’t engrossed in nappies, will be a wonderful trip down memory lane: for me it supported and powered the action, voicing the workers’ incredible mixture of emotions and shouting defiance to the world.
The outstanding performance has to be that of Jo Freer as Helen Monaghan. Without Helen’s quiet determination to fight for jobs for her co-workers the sit-in would have gone nowhere. Somehow this quiet unassuming shop steward found the inner resources to keep going in the face of determined opposition [and complete male indifference] and support and strengthen everyone else around her at the same time. Jo’s performance is simply unforgettable.
Oh the power of a strong woman! I hope that the telling of this story will remind people of the power of the individual and the ‘little person’ and inspire more acts of resistance in the face of increasing abuses of power and denial of justice.
The National Theatre of Scotland presents Stand and deliver, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Run Ended.
The Tour will call at The Byre Theatre St Andrews, Eastgate Theatre Peebles, Mull Threatre Tobermory, Eden Court Theatre Inverness, Lanternhouse Cumbernauld, and the Beacon Arts Centre Greenock. For more information go to: Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-in | National Theatre of Scotland
ScotsGay Arts 