The Pitmen Painters

What joy to start the autumn season at Theatre Royal Brighton with a play of real merit. Looking at the extraordinary emergence of a group of miners who, seeking to improve themselves, discovered and were discovered to have a rare artistic gift. Lee Hall’s play looks at the way these men embrace art and grow with it but also the impact it has on their lives and those around them.

Packed with humour it is also packed with the politics of class inequality, occasionally in a rather leaden way, but on the whole to great effect. In the first 30 minutes the script and cast managed to explain what art appreciation might be in a far more succinct way then any TV art historian has done.

A play about art and social history doesn’t sound that appealing but this is theatre at its best, entertaining and thought-provoking. The company are uniformly excellent too, each giving a superb performance.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 29 August

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