Spark Plug Review

Hull Truck Studio – until 22nd March 2019

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

4****

Spark Plug is a remarkable piece of writing and performance. David Judge is both playwright and performer in this emotional play exploring family, love and most of all belonging, and it is inspired by autobiographical events.

Set in the early 1980’s, the story follows “Big Dave” as he tells us how his son “little Dave” came into his life. “Little Dave” has two Dads, his step Dad Dave and his real Dad who left his Mum in the early stages of her pregnancy. His real Dad is black and Dave says “That makes him black. I suppose”, to others this is a problem, but to Dave all he sees is his son who he loves with a raging fierceness.

The stage is set in a workshop/ garage with the cars changing as Dave’s story unfolds from his early Ford Capri to a Fiat 126 as things begin to unravel. The set, lighting and music are very effective in helping to build the story.

David Judge holds the stage for well over an hour as he tells the story and it is impossible to keep your eyes off him, as raw emotion pours out. The language is poetic, yet realistic, Dave could be telling this story over a pint. Tender one minute as he talks about the birth of his son to raging with anger the next as life falls apart around him. There are telling little comments about his Mum and his sister, life has clearly never been easy for Dave. There is humour as Dave tells stories about his son, but Dave never wants us to feel sorry for him, he is a proud man.

David Judge seamlessly slips between playing Big Dave to Little Dave, to his wife Joanne, throwing in his Irish mum and various others characters along the way. He is a very physical actor, and this adds to the tensions that he so successfully builds up along the way, an awe inspiring performance.

The intimacy of The Studio at Hull truck was ideal for watching this heart rending yet heartwarming story, a story deserving to be told. For me the part that has stuck with me is just near the end as little Dave talks about his Dad and he says several times “my Dad”, the pride , the love , the emotion that was in those two words still take my breath away.

This is an intelligent, thought provoking look at life – one to see.