Arts:Blog

Theatre Review: The Slab Boys ***

Michael Cox reviews a production that's great in parts but is missing 'a certain spark'.

There’s no denying the commitment the Citizens Theatre has given to its revival of John Byrne’s classic The Slab Boys. Upon entering the theatre the audience step into a performance already in play: neon signs dot the foyer, a jukebox pours out some tunes and the staff are dressed in costumes that would fit in a production of Grease or the film Rebel Without a Cause. The fifties are in full swing well before taking a seat within the theatre, all of which creates a nice feeling of nostalgia prior to the cast taking the stage.

Perhaps that’s the word that best describes this production: nostalgia. John Byrne again serves as the designer and original director David Hayman not only returns to stage the production but also acts within the company, a company that includes his own son Sammy Hayman taking lead role Phil. The cast is filled with faces familiar from the Scottish stage and screen, all of whom seem to be having a great time.

And the audience do as well—the production is quite entertaining for its whole two and a half hour running time, and anyone not familiar with the play (about a day in the life of a group of workers in a carpet factory and the banter they engage in to make the work tolerable) can easily see the appeal.

And yet, as good as every thing is, something is missing—a certain spark that ties everything together. There is nothing wrong with the production; it just doesn’t sparkle as much as it should.

Maybe it’s the reverence that the production has for the play or the fact that the cast are still finding their footing with the pace of the script, but there are only fleeting glimpses of the brilliant potential that a production with such notable talent involved should be constantly hitting.

It’s good, sometimes very good, but with the talent involved, The Slab Boys should be far more rewarding than it currently is.

At the Citizens Theatre until March 7 and then at the Kings in Edinburgh from March 10-14.