Alan Bleasdale’s Boys from the Blackstuff is such an iconic piece of work, there is a concern the stage adaptation might descend into a ‘greatest hits’ of the well-known phrases and scenes. Adapter James Graham is, however, not overawed by the source material and makes small but telling adjustments to ensure a respectful but original stage play.
Boys from the Blackstuff began life as a one-off drama from which Graham incorporates material to explain how the Boys came to reduced circumstances and to show a different, self-deludingly ambitious side to Yosser Hughes (Jay Johnson), a key character struggling with his mental health. In 1982, a group of men, formerly employed as tarmac layers, have fallen victim to a scam and, as a result, lost their jobs and a chunk of their savings.
The attitude of the authorities is unsympathetic, creating a divided, hostile atmosphere in the community where transgressors who try and get around the benefits system are reported by their neighbours. Dixie (Mark Womack) secures legitimate work as a security guard but, contrary to his principles, is put under pressure to turn a blind eye to theft. Chrissie (George Caple), Loggo (Jurell Carter) and Yosser sign on the dole, but, along with Snowy (Reiss Barber), also work cash-in-hand on a construction site. When officials from the unemployment office raid the building site, the results have far-reaching and catastrophic consequences.
Bleasdale’s original series is a scathing condemnation of the economic impact of vicious government policies upon communities, particularly those dependent upon blue-collar manufacturing industries. Graham’s adaptation retains the anger but emphasises the waste and futility of the approach taken by the authorities. Even the officers at the unemployment office do not believe their actions are having any success in promoting employment or preventing fraud. The sense of betrayal—of being unable to trust those in power to act in the interest of the average person and of communities turning against each other—is highlighted as the fraud officers are actually investigating their neighbours.
Graham exploits the theatrical setting to demonstrate the depth of Yosser’s mental illness in a way that is not possible on screen and also offers an ending with a glimmer of hope as well as dark humour.
As the play is based upon a TV series, it is inevitably episodic. Director Kate Wasserberg uses this chaotic background to illustrate the fragmentation of communities. Scenes jump from warm-hearted, with the Boys practicing their professional skills at work and singing communal songs, to broad farce with a character on her knees, wrapped in a telephone cord trying to cope with unwanted callers at her front and back doors and answer her friends at the same time. Hanging over the production is, however, a unifying mood of regret and apprehension, the characters aware of past mistakes, unable to see any way of making amends and sceptical of the authorities offering any help or improvements in the future.
The dour atmosphere is reflected in Amy Jane Cook’s grim stage set—the characters hemmed in by overhanging cranes, corrugated iron fences or packing cases—and Jamie Jenkin’s video designs of murky, restless harbour waters.
Jay Johnson has the misfortune to be portraying a character whose physical appearance, twitchy mannerisms and ranting catchphrases are so well known as to allow little deviation from the TV version. Nevertheless, he succeeds in making Yosser’s behaviour both cruelly amusing and deeply disturbing. While Reiss Barber and Ged McKenna are representative of the dignity of labour and its value in promoting a sense of pride and purpose, George Caple’s tormented Chrissie is the moral centre of the play—knowing that accepting the holy grail of a job offer will amount to a betrayal of his beliefs.
Times have changed since the TV version of Boys from the Blackstuff was broadcast; now, rather than being desperate for work, it is estimated more than a fifth of UK working-age adults are simply choosing not to seek employment as working conditions are so unattractive. James Graham’s skilful adaptation ensures, however, the story retains its scathing impact and relevance for a new generation.