Review: End of the Line
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The Railway helped turn Britain, a small country on the edge of Europe, into a huge industrial empire.
Even as Greg Dawson Allen’s play was being performed at the Garioch Heritage Centre, recording the story of Inverurie Loco Works, major changes are still being made to the UK network with Virgin being ousted from the West Coast Mainline.
At the height of the rail expansion in the 1890s a 25 acre site in Inverurie was chosen and for over 70 years it made engines and carriages, locomotives and boilers and much more bringing employment and opportunities to the Aberdeenshire town.
It all came to a sorry end when that dreadful man Beeching almost single handedly stopped the development seventy years later.
Greg Allen’s tale dramatized by Rhona Mitchell and her talented young amateurs, moved away from a theatre stage and took the audience through the noisy works , introduced characters who mirrored true individuals who lived and loved and worked hard to make a success of the plant.
The audience trooped through the Garioch Centre (by-the-way, a super asset to the town), and as they passed through the workshops, canteens, changing rooms and finishing at the dancehall at each spot glaikit young men, grizzled foremen and worldly wise women and girls gave a great feel for the life and times.
George introduced to Charlie, the workshop foreman. then was told he was welcome but if he didn’t do his task right, he would feel calloused hands slapping his chops!
He was equally put in his place when faced with girls of the same age yet light years ahead in confidence.
When the works were established the owners built houses for the workers.
These were known locally as the Colony.
The Colony was like a village where all the secrets, and ambitions were understood.
It was greatly entertaining to learn in occasionally salty language, whilst they were doing the laundry, which men were worth pursuing and which women had the control.
Scandal was just below the surface and I was struck at the similarities to the famous Steamy scenes.
The final denouements took place at the dance.
Men had to entice partners to the hall, and there were delicious episodes where stammering gowks faced fearless girls, whilst at the same time they were being judged and jeered by their peers.
A combo of members of the cast made a passable band with impressive singers. Archie, Fred, Drew and others competed for the hands of Annie, Nancy, Maggie and so on in the dance arena.
Anger flared and a fight ensued before the girl being fought over chose her boy.
Not exactly Strictly but very entertaining.
Members of the audience were invited onto the floor and my companion and I joined in the Gay Gordons.
In the past I had stepped on my partners toes, on this occasion I was stomped on by one of the girls.
I did not know what to expect other than almost faultless acting by young and old.
The youngest acted their hearts out, and more senior and experienced cast members showed their well-honed skills.
Most of all they felt real.
Young 21st Century girls played 19th century matrons with aplomb.
The whole company can legitimately claim to have done a first-rate acting job, it was superb.
John Smith
