Miners who turned to art

The Pitmen Painters, Lowry, Salford, by Janice Barker

THEY must have been remarkable men who could hew coal for their working day, then pick up a paintbrush and create marvellous images drawn from everyday life around Newcastle.

And they come to life in the first half of Lee Hall’s acclaimed play about the Ashington group of miners who got together in 1934 for a Workers Educational Association class on art appreciation.

He condenses the class of around 30 into five strong characters, distilling the essence of their blunt, no nonsense humour.

But the dialogue and staging becomes heavy handed, lacking the dexterity of the first half, and is almost a tableaux at the end.

But the sparse, dark set, the suggestions of the harsh world of the mine in recorded background noise, the excellent Northumbrian accents, and clever displays of art summon up Ashington as it was over 70 years ago.