Premiere a winner for Coliseum

THE ROAD TO NAB END

Oldham Coliseum

A CRACKING end to the season as the Coliseum offers a hugely entertaining world-premiere, based on a massively popular, cult autobiography.

Philip Goulding’s adaptation of the William Woodruff account of his Blackburn childhood isn’t particularly startling or original, but is continually lively, detailed and charming and offers a hugely entertaining evening. If only the World Cup could do as much.

Headed by Kenneth Alan Taylor as the elderly Woo-druff, looking back and narrating his own childhood, the play’s cast is one of the best at the Coliseum since — well, since the last one, as it happens. But before that, think months.

Taylor may not exactly look the part of the slight and rather impish Lancastrian, but has great warmth throughout. John Elkington is strong and strangely sympathetic as the father and Lisa Howard equally so as the mother, while the play comes to life when Adam Barlow (as Billy), Frances McNamee and particularly Jo Mousley, as his sisters Jenny and Brenda respectively, are centre stage.

Unlike most of these poverty-stricken, northern mill-working “life were ’ard” tales, this is not a memoir by a semi-literate retiree, but a beautifully-written, thoughtful work by an historian and academic, self-confessedly and humorously trying to make sense of the impoverished world in which he grew up (Lancashire’s move from cotton boom to bust in the Twenties).

The curious thing is that this was, by the standard of the time, a fairly unremarkable childhood. Woodruff’s family wasn’t crushingly poor — though had its moments; Billy was lovingly raised and his life of curiosity seemed quite pleasant, since he knew little else.

What made the man remarkable was what came after this: education and life as an academic all over the world, eventually in Florida, where he put down roots. The 13 members of his family who attended on opening night had mostly American accents; if anything, a more interesting story…

But this tale will suffice for now: Woodruff’s talent for describing his childhood makes this an evening of pleasure and amusement. The play has great charm, moves quickly, remains mostly funny and MD Howard Gray has chosen cheering songs of the period to enliven the action, which takes place on a substantial set by Alison Heffernan, and evocatively-lit by Thomas Weir.

A warm recommendation then, and better than the footy…