Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne – until 18th November 2023
Reviewed by Sheila Storrar
5*****
After two successful runs at fringe theatre Laurels, in Whitley Bay, Jamie Eastlake’s play adapted from Jonathan Tulloch’s novel of 2000, “The Season Ticket”, transfers to Live Theatre. Set on Tyneside, it follows the quest of two teenagers trying to raise enough money to buy their dream: Newcastle United season tickets. The action has been updated from the book and later film, “Purely Belter”, by twenty or so years and now takes place against the backdrop of a Newcastle United under the controversial ownership of businessman Mike Ashley.
The cast of three local actors tell the story of Gerry (Dean Logan), a small but streetwise fifteen-year-old for whom school is irrelevant and his slightly older, unemployed best friend, Sewell (Jack Robertson), a larger and more simple soul, who dreams of owning a dog and having a girlfriend. Becky Clayburn takes the third role, or should I say roles, as she brilliantly plays all the other characters who inhabit the lives of Gerry and Sewell. These include family members, social workers, teachers, scrap dealers and a slightly menacing narrator/scene setter who prowls on the roof of a Metro train.
The set, a derelict Tyneside Metro train and graffitied station on an urban wasteland, is bleak. The play begins with driving rock music and audience participation demanded to create an army of flag waving football fans, which is perfectly evocative of the building atmosphere around St James’ Park on matchday. The story follows the pair over the course of a year, as they try sometimes hair-brained, often illegal schemes to collect the necessary cash together to achieve their dream.
With swearing throughout and issues of social deprivation, sexual abuse, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, and a recommended 15+ audience, it’s difficult to see how this play could be funny and ultimately uplifting, but it is both.
The dark subject matter is threaded throughout with moments of comedy and even slapstick as the pair try ever more ridiculous and ultimately desperate ways, to raise the money. There are laugh out loud moments and extremely poignant and tragic moments, which stun the audience into complete silence, as the bleak reality of Gerry and Sewell’s lives is told. A soundtrack including multiple Tyneside musical icons, from The Animals all the way to Sam Fender, is woven throughout the play which reinforces this as a very Geordie drama, although the themes are in no way exclusive to Tyneside. The message is that ultimately an accident of birth dictates one’s social situation and life chances, but everybody has hopes and dreams and in this play they parallel those of the fans following the changing fortunes of Newcastle United Football Club. Gerry and Sewell don’t want much out of life, just the hope of something better.
You don’t need to follow football or be a Geordie to appreciate and enjoy this play and I highly recommend this fantastic piece of theatre which closed to a standing ovation at Live Theatre.