The story itself is traditional well-covered territory but the director invests it with a refreshing sense of physical theatre that causes us to see it anew, the short, sharp, economically scripted scenes adopting a slower gear only when necessary, such as the agonising section where the entombed men, the water rising relentlessly, realise they are doomed. Davie’s is the play’s main journey, initially struggling to free himself from the claustrophobic confines of the pit community to become an art teacher but his horror at the disaster sees him eventually return to the colliery to fight for proper conditions and wages for the miners.ĭavie’s contemporary is Joe Gowlan (Louis Roberts), a ruthless and manipulative young go-getter whose generosity is directed entirely towards himself.īethan Amber plays Jenny Sunley, the story’s other love interest, and all five actors also tackle minor roles, with quick costume changes stage-side in full view of the audience, but then in Etal’s neat little village hall, there is no backstage and no wings. It’s set in a 1930s North-East mining community and is a piece of blood-red socialist fervour as the greedy profiteering of the local mine owner Barrass (Stewart Howson) and his refusal to contemplate the flooding risks involved in opening the new seam, eventually sends 186 men and boys to their doom.īarrass is exonerated from blame in the ensuing public enquiry.ĭavid McCarthy plays Davie Fenwick, son of the veteran miner Robert (also Stewart Howson). That’s a good while back, since when Cronin has returned to the semi-obscurity that is the lot of most authors.īut here comes Northumberland Theatre Company with Alex Ferguson’s powerful ‘freely adapted’ version of his 1935 three part novel, The Stars Look Down, directed by Gillian Hambleton.

A J Cronin, or Aged Cronie as Kingley Amis unkindly labelled him, enjoyed / endured his most recent spell of celebrity author status with the successful long-running TV and radio series Dr Finlay’s Casebook based on his novel Country Doctor.

The Stars Look Down by A.J. Cronin