“In a forgotten steel town Workington in the Lake District, two boys embark on a radical journey over the course of one night“
Steel, written by Lee Mattinson and directed by Liz Stevenson, operates within two degrees of storytelling: the arc of Kamran and James’ wild, almost mystical night, and the story of British industry’s classist discarding of towns that no longer serve their interests. The production is set in Workington, a town left austere, bereft of work following the disappearance of its steel industry. James and Kamran are seventeen, working at a Burger King. On this fateful night, James’ dad reports that a woman named Linda called looking for James. It turns out that James’ great great great (times a few more ‘greats’) grandfather on his deceased mother’s side owned a mile of British railway track. James, as the next of kin, is the de facto recipient of this mile of railway. National Rail would like to buy it back from James for a whopping one million pounds. All James has to do is procure the original contract. Linda gives James twelve hours to do so. Easy!
Faced with the potential to acquire more money than he ever anticipated having, James, accompanied as always by Kamran, sets off on a quest to find this contract. After his mother’s passing when he was six years old her things were either torched by James’ dad or sent to other relatives who James hasn’t seen for many years. This dilemma allows the pair to galavant around the town.
It’s Friday after pay day, and the town is heaving. As Kamran and James explore the pubs, flats, and corners of Workington we are privy to their observations on the struggling town. The eyes of two seventeen year old boys reveal the pain Workington has suffered, the ways in which it has been well and truly forgotten by the state. Hand in hand with this comes evidence of the fortitude of the town’s residents, how they work to find light in the heavy darkness. It’s a beautiful story performed excellently by Jordan Tweddle as James and Suraj Shah as Kamran and quite literally every other character in the piece. Tweddle’s delicate performance was a joy to witness, imbued with a tenderness that was heartbreaking to witness. Shah’s anxious Kamran was a great counterpart to James and stood out amongst the myriad of other characters attributed to Shah in this production, a feat not to be underestimated.