Well this play certainly packs a punch! It is 80 minutes of intense brilliance! Two actors play multiple roles and switch from dialogue to narrative to achieve the complexities of the storyline. There is self-deprecation, laugh out loud fun but also an abundance of serious issues, making the audience feel compelled to focus throughout.
Set in Workington, Steel is about two teenage boys
Steel is written by Lee Mattinson with music by Mark Melville and directed by Liz Stevenson. It is the story of two teenage lads, James and Kaman living in Workington, once a prosperous town, now neglected and run down. They feel trapped in their surroundings, different from others, with few prospects.
An unexpected inheritance for one of the teenagers?
Out of the blue James receives a phone call from ‘Lynn from London’; they arrange to meet and she tells him he is the owner of a mile of British Railway line (secured by his three times grandfather in 1903) and if he can find the original document to prove it she will give him one million pounds!
Twelve hours to find a document
So the hunt begins, they only have twelve hours. We are then treated to a whirlwind of mini adventures, through the pubs and parks of Workington. We met family members who help piece together the puzzle of the document, their stories also revealing the Workington’s’ troubled past and family lies.
Emotion, heartache and humour
Raw emotion is exposed with heartache and humour. Watch out for the slow mo miming action and the description of what it’s really like to work at Burger King! The final strand to the play is the relationship between James and Kamran, will their love and affection for each other endure the events of the last 12 hours? James played by Jordan Tweddle and Kamran by Suraj Shah work their socks off to draw the audience into their world with great success. Their burgeoning talent is obvious.
Steel is showing in 2024 at Theatre by the Lake from 3 to 19 October as part of Cumbria Fest. It is then on tour at:–
The Centre, Maryport: 23 October
Florence Arts Centre, Egremont: 24 October
The Beggars Theatre, Millom: 25tOctober
Carlisle Youth Zone: 30 October
The Carnegie Theatre and Arts Centre, Workington: 2 and 3 November
Further information can be found at www.theatrebythelake.com
