Originally published by L.S. Media. September 23rd 2009.

Cast: Mike Burnside, Stefan Butler, Daniel Casey, David Crellin, Katherine Dowblyton, Oliver Farnworth, Dominic Gately, Peter McGovern, Oliver Watton.

The film is considered to be a cinematic classic, gritty in its honesty; heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time. One of the true greats and one of Ken Loach’s finest moments. It would therefore be near on impossible for anybody to transfer it to the stage, but in the writer Lawrence Till, all the sadness, tinges of humour and the bleak future is stripped bare and in its place is nothing short of theatrical genius.

It is not often that you can go the theatre and find that all the talk is about one actor but Stefan Butler as young Billy Casper simply blew the audience away with his acting range. Going from deep rage when he finds out what his brother has done to moments of pure joy as he is talking to his teacher Mr Farthing about the kestrel he has found. Stefan covered so many facets of the human emotion that it must have left him as exhausted, physically and emotionally as those in the stalls and gallery.

That is not to say that the play was a one man show, far from it, as the production would not succeed without any of the other members of the talented cast which included the wonderful Mike Burnside as Billy’s exasperated headmaster Mr Gryce (who must be said wielded the cane like a pro), the exceptional Daniel Casey as the kind hearted teacher, the aforementioned Mr Farthing and a superb reading of the sadistic, football obsessed bully, Mr Sugden by David Crellin.

The play gains much by the interaction between Billy and the audiences imagination of the kestrel which in the hands of any other writer would have been lost as is its use of lighting in some of the more crucial dialogues is a dream.

A night out that will be talked about for a long time to come.

Ian D. Hall