Painting with words
The new play by Lee (Billy Elliot) Hall is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.
Lee spoke to me the morning after a South Bank Show dedicated to his work was aired – "I wasn't allowed to watch any of it before it broadcast so was slightly worried" – and outlined how the St Ives art movement of the 1930s plays its part in the play.
In 1934, a group of miners in Ashington, Northumberland, hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the pitmen began to paint.
Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collections, but every day they worked, as before, down the mine.
Inspired by a book by William Feaver, the play brings to life the story of the Ashington Group who became celebrated painters.
The Pitmen Painters – which was named Best Play at the 2008 Evening Standard Awards – will resonate with the art community in Cornwall as there are clear comparisons between the miners' success and St Ives artist Ben Nicholson's encouragement of fisherman Alfred Wallace.
Lee said: "Actually, that is featured in the play and provides one of the big scenes when Ben Nicholson visits Ashington and shows them one of Wallace's paintings – they're actually quite dismissive of his work.
"All of those artists of the period knew each other – people who are aware of the St Ives school in the '30s will recognise a lot of the references."
The South Bank Show was a sympathetic look at Lee's work (which includes Spoonface Steinberg, Cooking With Elvis and, of course, Billy Elliot), though it was argued that at times his plays are overly sentimental. Does he agree?
"I think I work very hard not to be sentimental. There's nothing wrong with sentiment – I grew up with the work of Arthur Miller and Alan Bleasdale which is passionate and emotional – it's when it is ladled on with a spoon that it becomes a problem."
Did he feel pressure from himself and others to follow the success of Billy Elliot?
"The success was actually very gradual – it was a 10-year period from the film screenplay to the Broadway and West End musical, so it never felt like a big juggernaut; it grew organically. Having that level of success is actually pretty liberating as it allows you the freedom to do what you want.
"Before Billy Elliot I was writing to make ends meet but afterwards the pressure was off to do things I wasn't 100% committed to. Billy Elliot allowed me to write The Pitmen Painters.
"I've found if you write something you really love it finds an audience, but if you do something to make a quick buck it's unlikely to be any good."
Performances: Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm.
Tickets: £8-£23. Post show Q & A: Wednesday, November 25. Box office: 01752 267222 or online at www.theatreroyal.com
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