“A poignant and powerful adaptation”
A poignant and powerful adaptation of the 2016 film, highlighting the stark reality of the most vulnerable citizens in the UK. A must-see for everyone, particularly those of us who are privileged enough to not have to claim benefits.
‘I, Daniel Blake’ is a stage play adapted from the 2016 Ken Loach film about the unforgivable flaws in the UK benefits system. It follows Dan, a man recovering after a heart attack, and his battle to be treated as a citizen whilst being passed between his doctor, the job centre, the government, and hours on the phone on hold – all the while receiving no money to survive. He meets Katie and her daughter Daisy, who are going through a similar battle of unfair treatment, and befriends and helps them in their own struggles.
Utterly poignant and perfectly pitched, this play left many of the audience in tears, and was greatly deserving of its standing ovation. David Nellis was outstanding as Dan, as was Jessica Johnson as Katie. There was no shortage of emotion and rawness on the stage, and being right in front of you gave a lot of gravity to the reality of the story. One part I found particularly powerful was an angry speech from a homeless man, defending Dan and berating the system with passion. Despite the serious topic, somehow the play also found moments of comedy and had the audience laughing out loud several times, with typical northern humour.
The supporting actors Kema Sikazwe, Jodie Wild, Micky Cochrane and Janine Leigh were brilliant too, each playing multiple parts. I thought the simple dynamic set was very well designed to reflect the basic living standards of people ‘existing, not living’. The backdrop video also worked perfectly to display quotes and various flyers and adverts that would have been circulating, and the sound and lighting brought the whole production together, transporting you into a world that too many people are a part of.
It used real clips of politicians throughout – sound bites of them referring to the benefit system, defending it and blaming the citizens instead. The story made it starkly clear how badly they had missed the point. In fact, the whole play was extremely well-researched – for example the questions Dan had to answer to attempt to claim Employment and Support Allowance seemed so ridiculous and unjust, but actually were the exact questions asked in real life.
The message of ‘I, Daniel Blake’ was clear, as director Mark Calvert says: ‘A call to keep telling these stories until our country truly supports its most vulnerable, rather than protecting the privileged few and demonising those in need’. I have seen amongst my family and friends how difficult it can be to find a job, and it struck me how scarily easy it would be for many people I know to fall victim to the flaws of the UK benefits system.
I implore everyone to go and see this play, and be ready to realise how close to reality Dan’s and Katie’s stories are.
I, Daniel Blake plays at Northern Stage until 4th April before heading on tour across the UK this spring. Tickets are available here.