Wigan 2004: A ridiculous amount of fun
“...a ridiculous amount of fun” is how the Austin Chronicle described the original show, which was packed with song and dance, history and parody, and black and bawdy humor — interspersed with glimpses of the grim realities of life in working-class Wigan, England circa 1930.
The original production was based on the diaries of George Orwell, who traveled to the northern mining towns of England to record for posterity the day-to-day lives of the working men and women of Lancashire.
But we took it much, much further.
The production included — in sketch comedy and film, songs and dance and a little audience participation — deep dives into the histories of coal mining and the UK’s nascent trade union movement. We soaked up the atmosphere on the terraces of Lancashire’s famous football (soccer) clubs — and even played a real game on stage. (Up the Reds!) We danced with outhouses, sampled cups of tea, spent our money on cheap luxuries (while skimping on life’s necessities) and had our heads bashed by Margaret Thatcher and her union busting thugs. A rare old ’istory indeed.
Here is Mr. P’s explanation of why (oh why oh why) he got this idea in the first place. And here is all that survives from the original 2004 website — a long read (of course) but a rich seam of information on the lives of the miners of Wigan and of the artists that told their story in our wee play.
Aye, ’twas a right good time. But way too much to try to do this outing. Instead, we’re putting together a stripped-down version of all those shenanigans for a long-awaited return to Wigan in 2019.
Back to the top
|
