As a friend of mine from
outside the UK pointed out, we Brits are obsessed with our television. Maybe it’s
the fact our weather is so bad that we spend more time indoors than your average
country. It has also been a feature of our devotion to our best loved television
shows that we have transferred to the stage our love of our favourite small screen
output. A range of adaptations varying wildly in quality from Are You Being Served? to Inspector Morse. The latest of these
screen-to-stage transfers is a tough call from anybody’s perspective. Kay Mellor’s
1995 landmark drama Band Of Gold gave
ITV a hit of considerable proportions which spawned two sequels. It centred around
the working prostitutes of the Bradford area, their lives and troubles. The series
featured the combined talents of such acting heavyweights as Geraldine James, Cathy
Tyson, Barbara Dickson, Ray Stevenson, Tony Doyle as well as putting on the map
the multi award-winning screen actress Samantha Morton. And although it is 22 years
since we said our goodbyes to the ladies of The Lane, the show has remained a fond
memory for the 13 million or so people who watched devotedly week after week. The
Grand Theatre, Leeds is the venue chosen for the world premiere prior to a national
tour, and the show is very Kay Mellor heavy. She’s writer, director and producer.
The original TV cast: Barbara Dickson as Anita, Geraldine James as Rose, Ruth Gemmell as Gina Dixon, Cathy Tyson as Carol
The evening begins with
a somewhat strange and frankly unnecessary voice over from Kay Mellor herself welcoming
the audience, then we are back in the early 1990s and on The Lane, a notorious area
of Bradford where prostitutes ply their trade. Gina Dixon, a mother whose marriage
is on the rocks and in debt with a loan shark, is getting desperate, and tries to
make ends meet by selling make-up door to door. Gina meets Carol Johnson, an experienced
hustler with an OCD in cleaning. Hearing how much money Carol makes for her services
tempts Gina into trying her hand. But first she has to get the permission of the
Queen of the Lane, Rose Garrity. Tough as nails, she knows every inch of The Lane
and all the regular punters. Then there is Anita Braithwaite, mistress to local
businessman George Ferguson who has set her up with a flat to conduct their liaison.
Anita however is using her good fortune to let out a room to her prostitute friends
for a small gratuity in order that they have some lodgings to take punters to when
they have been picked up. But dark shadows are gathering for Gina, Anita, Rose and
Carol. There is a killer out there waiting in the shadows. He will change the lives
of all of them in one way or another.
The class of 2019: Keiron Richardson, Laurie Brett, Emma Osman, Sacha Parkinson,
Gaynor Faye, Shayne Ward
Emma Osman as Carol Johnson
Mellor has assembled a cast
who fit the lead roles perfectly. Her own daughter Gaynor Faye brings the necessary
feistiness to Rose, perhaps not as world weary as her TV counterpart, but certainly
has the fire within. A towering presence over The Lane. Sacha Parkinson brings just
the right amount of naivety and desperation to Gina as she finds herself getting
deeper and deeper into debt. Emma Osman’s Carol meanwhile exudes confidence in her
chosen profession and like all of the ‘ladies of the Lane’ has a blunt way with
words. The ease with which she switches mundane life with her chosen profession
is part of her charm. The funniest lines all go to Laurie Brett as Anita, who in
this version is a frustrated singer who has lacked any opportunity but still belts
out a karaoke number. Almost certainly a nod to chanteuse Barbara Dickson having played the TV original.
Brett has the comic timing down to a tea, and handles the singing with ease which
allows Kay Mellor to shoe-horn in the theme from the show, the 1960s standard “Love
Hurts”. Olwen May brings a nice soft touch to Joyce, Gina’s grieving mother, struggling
to come to terms with her daughter’s fate. But the show is not entirely about the
ladies. There are some nice turns among the men too. Keiron Richardson impresses
in his first stage role as Steve, Gina’s estranged husband. Dinnerladies favourite Andrew Dunn brings
his wealth of experience to councillor Ian Barraclough. A man whose cleaning contracts
are sought after by dodgy businessman George Ferguson, in a nice gruff performance
by Mark Sheals. X Factor and Coronation Street veteran Shayne Ward is not given masses to do as Inspector
Newall but acquits himself well in a limited role. Steve Garti manages to milk the
comic potential of Curly and his fetish for stockings and heels, with Joe Mallalieu
making a convincing menacing presence as loan shark Mr. Moore.
Keiron Richardson and Gaynor Faye
Emma Osman, Laurie Brett, Gaynor Faye
Laurie Brett as Anita
The pace of the show fair
zips along, with short scenes that are thankfully resolved quickly in a clever set
design by Janet Bird with a series of sliding flats and furniture being whizzed
about the stage. Hal Lindes provides the original music just as he did in the television
series, which helps create the sombre atmosphere which pervades the evening. Kay
Mellor though is canny enough to know that an evening of hard hitting drama might
be too much for audiences, and interweaves plenty of tough talking humour into the
show. The final climatic scene perhaps needs a bit of work - too rushed and a little too obviously choreographed for my liking - but aside from that small niggle the piece retains its raw and visceral quality for the stage.
Andrew Dunn as Ian
Sacha Parkinson as Gina and Keiron Richardson as Steve
Shayne Ward as Inspector Newall and Laurie Brett as Anita
Curtain call at the Grand Theatre
I have sat through many
a TV-to-stage adaptation and this is without doubt among the finer examples of the
genre. It stands up as a piece of theatre without the prior knowledge of the TV
series, not so with many of the adaptations over the years. Kay Mellor’s name on
a screen or above a theatre has always been a sign of quality, and so it emerges
here. The problems presented have not gone away, and the social injustices
still feel very relevant. Band Of Gold
has returned tarted up for a new generation. It feels good to have it back.
Janet Bird's versatile set ready for the start of the play
2020 Tour dates for the Band Of Gold tour can be found at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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