STAND & DELIVER: THE LEE JEANS SIT-IN | SCOTTISH TOUR @ TRAVERSE THEATRE
★★★
“Politically, more Rag Trade than Boys From The Blackstuff…”
There are two witty dissections of working class struggle on stages in Edinburgh right now, both set in the instantly recognisable environs of a Social Club. While Black Diamonds and The Blue Brazil packs them in at the Royal Lyceum, just around the corner at The Traverse it’s The Tron/National Theatre of Scotland co-production, Stand & Deliver… that casts a nostalgic eye over the historic 1981 Lee Jeans sit-in.
That said, if both stage designs appear similar – wood panelling, obligatory stage, wooden tables, Bolero stacking chairs – it should come as no surprise to discover both are designed by Jessica Worrall, her work for Stand & Deliver on a far more intimate scale than that for the Lyceum, but equally of its period.
Six years in the making, Stand & Deliver tells a true story derived from the memories of many who were there. It charts the determination of the workforce of Greenock’s Lee Jeans plant who, when faced with losing their jobs, decided to fight back. After 10 years of American ownership, the writing is on the wall for the 240 workers who are already finding themselves stitching as much inferior fabrics as they are denim.
With redundancy on the horizon, inspirational shop steward Helen Monaghan allows herself to be talked into radical action in a last desperate attempt to save jobs; a wildcat sit-in, supported by shipbuilders and miners in the area but not by their own Tailor & Garment Workers Union. It’s the story of industrial struggle that would become only too familiar in the wake of Thatcher’s 1980 Employment Act, a direct attack on union solidarity.
Indeed the ghost of Thatcher hovers over the Greenock sit-in, just one of many disputes to fall foul of the industrial destruction the new laws allowed, destruction that would ultimately see the demise of factories, pits, foundries and shipyards across Scotland and the UK.
Consequently, with laughs galore and a cast of multi talented actor/musicians rocking out pop songs of the time – from Kim Wilde to Bowie, Duran Duran to Adam Ant and more – the focus centres on the camaraderie of the workforce rather than a deeper understanding of the politics. More Rag Trade than Boys From The Blackstuff, it never quite captures the depth of rage and fury that might be expected.
That Frances Poet’s script is overlong doesn’t help, neither does the fact that weaving the memories of so many into one cogent truth makes for fragmented storytelling. With talk of corruption, three day weeks, the Linwood closure, Charles and Diana’s Royal Wedding, and the IRA Hunger strikes all ticked off along the way, the real hardships inflicted on the predominantly female workforce is lightly drawn – as are supporting characters.
That’s not to say cast members don’t work hard. A fierce performance from Jo Freer anchors the production and ensures Ellen remains the blazing heart of the piece. Torn between friends and family, management and union, she fights on; it’s not about winning, but making sure ‘not to lose’. Chiara Sparkes and Hannah Jarrett-Scott, as sisters Maggie and Cathie Wallace too stand out. Sparkes creates an impulsive and ever ebullient Maggie, a mischievous twinkle never far from her eye, while Jarrett-Scott shows off her comedy chops as the dryly funny Cathie, a lass with a gift for killer one-liners.
Elsewhere, juggling the role of Finlay amongst others, Aron Dochard demonstrates a good range, while Madeline Grieve, credited simply as Ensemble, impresses with nice stillness and a magnetic stage presence.
Jemima Levick directs with an eye for detail but fails to bring a consistent flow to proceedings, which at times are too performative. Levick is not helped by the episodic nature of the writing, which lessens emotional connection with characters.
The final scene, which also shoehorns Boris and his Covid parties, support Palestine, and the politics of today into the mix as Ellen, now 89, gets the last word, feels tagged on. Thankfully, it’s followed by a roll call of the 140 workers left standing when the sit-in achieved its goal after seven months. It elicits a spontaneous, ad continuous round of applause as the names appear… but even that triumph proves bittersweet, the Lee Jeans plant may have been saved but ultimately, the Free Market proved the real winner, when it finally closed, just three years later.
Full tour and ticket details HERE
