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Monday, August 18, 2008, 09:20
EARLIER in the year, I was fortunate enough to attend the One Act Play Festival at the Mitchell Memorial Theatre, Hanley, which saw several amateur dramatic societies perform for a selection of awards.
Burslem S.T.A.R.S were among the groups presenting plays on the day and the one they chose, Darren Vallier and Rob Sweetman's Their Scarves Were Red, was particularly poignant.
Because of its length, the full musical had to be cut but on Saturday night, albeit in front of a small audience and with some technical/performance problems, the company was able to present the full version.
Their Scarves Were Red is a particularly challenging piece for a young company such as this to undertake, but the cast delivered and coped well with the exceptionally high-pitched songs that often offered the singers no reprieve.
Telling the story of the fateful Hillsborough disaster by cleverly singling out a young football fanatic and his friend, this musical takes the audience on an emotional journey that grips as the build-up to the deadliest stadium-related disaster in British history occurs.
Yes, there are some comical moments as the personalities of the different characters are expressed but all in all, this is a powerful piece of theatre and credit must be given to the group brave enough to tackle it.
Playing the role of 17-year-old Liverpool fanatic Dan Grice was Philip Hawkins, who portrayed his passion for the beautiful game well.
Best friend Barry, played by Callum Lawrie, complemented him well and together the duo gave a solid performance.
With the question of 'what if we could turn back time?' constantly at the forefront, Marcus Robinson was confident in his guardian angel role, trying in vain to prevent the young lad from attending the game.
As far as musicals go, Their Scarves Were Red isn't one that people will remember for its songs.
However, its dramatic content will certainly stay with you long after the final curtain falls.
It's emotional, poignant, intense, humorous and, in this case, well performed.
Liz Rowley
EMOTIONAL JOURNEY: The cast of Their Scarves Were Red. Pictures: Mark Scott
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