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Poignant and moving with an ending powerful enough to bring tears to the audience and the cast.Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
At a time when strikes are in the news on a daily basis and when the British government has proposed laws to ban them, Strike! is a timely reminder of the right to withdraw labour and the difference that a small group of people can make. Dunnes Stores is still one of the largest chains in Ireland and back in 1984 nine young women and one young man went on strike. Their union had advised them not to handle any goods from apartheid South Africa and on refusing to do so, one worker, Mary Manning (Chloe O’Reilly), was suspended. Her colleagues walked out in support. They didn’t know much about South Africa; part of their motivation was to give their bosses a bit of a kicking.
The strike would last more than two years and see the striking workers meet Bishop Desmond Tutu, travel to South Africa (where they were denied entry), whilst facing down challenges from their own union, government and the catholic church. In the end it would lead to Ireland becoming the first Western country to ban the import of South African goods.
Strike! is based on this amazing true story and relates the experiences of all ten of the striking workers, albeit broadly. Credit must be given to writer Tracy Ryan and Ardent Theatre Company: it would have almost certainly been easier and cheaper to reduce the cast numbers, but it is important to show each of the strikers and their commitment, bravery and sacrifice. The large company ensures that the show is busy, with high energy coming from the stage and a lot of laughs. At times you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a pure comedy.
Strike! excels at showing the camaraderie and solidarity between the strikers while also building a connection with the audience. There’s a lot to pack in, from 1984 through until 2013, but frequent narration brings us along and lets the voices of the individual strikers come directly through to the audience. The ensemble are all strong, each ensuring that their character shines in their moment in the spotlight, and doing justice to those brave strikers. Paul Carroll has a huge amount of fun, firstly as the almost cartoonish Dunnes Manager and then as the supportive union rep. Nimrod Sejake (Mensah Bediako), a South African labour leader living in exile in Ireland who brings the reality of apartheid to the strikers and supplies a much needed South African voice.
The set by designer Libby Watson keeps a Dunnes sign at the top, overshadowing all the strikers. This sign remains visible and unmovable as the strikers suffer the weather on the picket line along with abuse from colleagues and even the police. Even as the story whirls to New York to see the strikers address the United Nations, the Dunnes sign still hangs over everything. The floor showing the South African flag design begins in black and white and ends with the modern colours, a country free from apartheid.
Powerful and poignant, the ending brings tears to some of the audience and some of the cast. Strike! stands as tribute to those valiant strikers, the power of strike action and the pride and joy of solidarity. This is an absolutely memorable and unmissable night at the theatre, and even telling friends about it the next day, I found the tears threatening a comeback.
Written by: Tracy Ryan
DIrected by: Kirsty Patrick Ward
Design by: Libby Watson
Lighting design by: Jamie Platt
Sound design by: Dominic Brennan
Movement direction by: Ira Mandela Siobhan
Produced by: Ardent Theatre Company
Strike! plays at Southwark Playhouse until 6 May. Further information and tickets can be found here.
