Theatres & Shows Review: Wasteland 11 November 2019 by Visit Blackpool Review: Wasteland It’s been over two years since seeing Gary Clarke Company multi award winning production of Coal at the Grand Theatre and the much awaited sequel Wasteland will be gaining awards in the future too. Set ten years on from the British Miners’ Strike of 1984/5 and the mining communities suffer again with the closure of the pits. With miners still coughing dust from their lungs, it is also the cough of despair. With unemployment thrust upon them with no new industries rising from the ashes, a generation of proud, hardworking miners are left on the scrap heap with catastrophic effect. The Last Miner, portrayed by Alistair Goldsmith, who also appeared in Coal, takes the audience through his redundant life of drinking, betting, despondency and frustration at the position he is now in. Accompanied by the Pit Men Singers and Brass Players, the speeches and songs are of a proud and passionate group of men who displayed similarities to their nemesis, Thatcher, of grit, determination and a fighting spirit that held them through the Strike, but one which they ultimately lost. The Last Miner looks at his son’s life seeing it has no direction either. Little does he know that his son has found other outlets to fill this void. Welcome to the illegal rave parties that spread across the disused warehouses and factories in the North of England. This is where the production shifts from anger and despair to high pulsating, energy of youth. The rave music blasts out and the dancers show a rawness and power that takes your breath away. Some of the audience will remember going to raves and I think that Gary Clarke has captured this time in the 90s perfectly. It’s hard to remain seated and some of the audience were caught up in the music and energy of the dances. The archive news clips support the direction of the Ravers’ story and the choreography of these dance pieces is outstanding. The dancers are almost hypnotic, leaving the audience exhausted but wanting more. In the latter part of the production, the smiley face shields the dancers use as a defence against the police, when the raves are being broken up, refer to the use of ecstasy in the 90s. This has a devastating effect for the Last Miner’s son. As his father runs in his own circles of hell, the son’s cries for him are heart wrenching to watch. The raw despair and grief of the Last Miner as his son lies dead runs parallel with the death of the British coal industry. What was once a thriving industry, being the life blood of the communities and supporting businesses also has its life ripped from it. Wasteland is so much more than a dance show, it captures a piece of British history, which still bears its scars and has a rippling effect 25 years on. By supporting the Gary Clarke Company, the Grand Theatre is living up to its headline of being ‘Daringly Different’. Audiences can see more dance productions in the new year with the return of the Russian State Ballet of Siberia in January, the Ballet Boyz in March and for the younger audience, Northern Ballet’s Little Red Riding Hood in April. Visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk for more details and to book. By Angela P