With touches of Art, Red and Billy Elliott, the current import from London's National Theatre is Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, now premiering at the Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. This is a touching, often inspiring true story of hard-working, uneducated miners ("pitmen") from northern England's Cumberland district who discover their artistic side. The Pitmen Painters spans 1934-1947, and the results of their discovered creative talents remain in a permanent collection at the Woodhorn Colliery Museum in Newcastle.
With efficient diversity and personality, director Max Roberts quickly sets up the five miners, later known as The Ashington Group. Sleekly, he directs a gritty story. It begins in a barren YMCA hall, where union leader, George Brown (Deka Walmsley), hires a visiting instructor, Robert Lyon (Ian Kelly), to teach the pitmen how to appreciate art. Five men sign up for various reasons, some as basic as just getting out of the house. Besides Brown, they include Oliver Kilbourn (Christopher Connel), the most talented of the group; a dental technician, Harry Wilson (Michael Hodgson); an amusing, Jimmy Floyd (David Whitaker); and a Young Lad (Brian Lonsdale) who is out of work.
The instructor, bringing Renaissance slides with him, arrives with the idea of reviewing the history of art with his new students, but he is met with zero enthusiasm from the group who had no education past the age of 10. To engage their interest, he tells them to create their own artworks and, slowly, they give it a try. They find that painting, sketching or etching are surprisingly effective ways to interpret their live and society. The results are eventually an outpouring of truth, wit or horror in styles that range from primitive to expressionistic.
Their journey toward sophistication is not easy. One humorous sequence has the instructor bring in a young lady (Lisa McGrillis) for a live modeling session. When the provincial miners realize she is going to take her clothes off, they are unnerved. They may be titillated, but her nudity challenges their values.
Their confidence grows when the group is brought to London and Edinburgh. They eventually find their work can actually share space in museums and make money from these talents they never knew they had. This success is helped by an art patron, Helen Sutherland (Phillippa Wilson), who is particularly drawn towards Oliver. The importance of art and society becomes evident as they talk about their progress to the audience, a compelling ending to Act I.
Act I is tight and intriguing, but Act II loses much of the production's tight intimacy. The talented Oliver is faced with accepting the largesse of the patron or staying with the group. The instructor takes a turn of his own. Finally the politics of the day changes the social structure and economy of the northern district and life is changed for everyone.
Nevertheless, the actors are outstanding, all delivering individual characteristics with humor, pathos and earthiness. The Newcastle dialect is occasionally difficult to catch but Lee Hall has scripted an articulate tale with realistic dialogue, drawing definitive characters. The play is an overall treat.
With lighting by Douglas Kuhrt, set designer, Gary McCann's three screens sitting on the spare stage are effective displays for the pitmen's artwork. When we first see the art, it is a surprising thrill. McCann's costumes are appropriate for the time and characters.
The Pitmen Painters was inspired by William Feaver's book, "Pitmen Painters: The Ashington Group 1934-1984," and the production, if not perfect, is engaging and a hopeful sign of success for this Broadway season.
