Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: David Judge, John McGrellis, Ged McKenna, Molly Taylor.
The world is forever changing, no sooner have you got to grips with one situation than another comes along to take yet another swipe at you and push you to the brink. Such is the world of Scrappers and those living in a world in which is always under threat by new methods.
Three scrap breakers living along the coast in Fleetwood are soon shaken out of their dreams of making it big in Blackburn or Bolton or even asking the nice girl who waits at the bus stop every day out for a drink or a meal. In the case of yard owner Ken, played with keen assuredness by Ged Mckenna, making a welcome return to the Playhouse Studio after his terrific role in Held earlier in the year, just surviving long enough to make his friends and neighbours realise that there is still life in all the industry if they pull together.
The set, the dusty nature of existence draws the audience in to a world in which many have forgotten, is a joy to behold. Within its enclosed steel lies warmth, even against the bitterness of dying industry. That warmth is enhanced by the feel of craftsmanship supplied by the four actors on stage. The aforementioned Ged McKenna, the sublime David Judge as Ryan, the relentless brilliance of John McGrellis as the would be poet Morse and the captivating acting of Molly Taylor as Jodie.
What makes Scrappers such an enjoyable feast for the eyes is the knowledge that it was written by such a young emerging and bountiful talent.
For such a young man, Daniel Matthew shows the kind of depth and talent in his writing that can only have the words wow written across his posters for the play. Not just superbly written but with the greatest of humility thrown into the artistic arena. It is hard to believe that this is his debut play for Scrappers has all the hall marks of someone who has been writing for years. Quite brilliant!
With direction by Matthew Xia and four cast members who were on absolute top form and who gave everything into the believability of the situation, so much so you could almost taste the sea air and the salted chips sliding down your throat and see the scavenging seagulls picking over the remains of an industry on the decline, this was a play that you can only ever dream of being involved in.
A truly fantastic production, a writer who surely will become a regular contributor to the Liverpool theatre scene, if not beyond and above all a play that reminds the audience of what life is all about, never to give in, no matter what. Scrappers is very special and remarkable!
Ian D. Hall