Pressure Drop

Synopsis

Pressure Drop presents three generations of a white, working-class English family struggling to define themselves both in relation to one another and within a changing social landscape. The drama is played out by eight characters in a working class town, on the periphery of London across four locations: the living room of a terraced house, a church, a working class pub and a small stage for a band.

Our Review:

26 April 2010

Playwright Mick Gordon and legendary singer-songwriter Billy Bragg have collaborated to create this production-come-gig examining what it means to be British, white and working class.

The play arrives at The Wellcome Collection for a short run against a backdrop of rising unemployment figures, St George’s Day and a General Election. For Bragg it is particularly timely given that BNP leader Nick Griffin is currently standing in his hometown of Barking.

Designer Tom Scutt has done an impressive job turning the exhibition space into a set. So much so that upon entering, you’d be happy to just explore the area, which feels like an art installation. Discordant noises from the sound check resonate across the three stages (consisting of a church and open casket, bar stools and living room) and a red, glowing strip runs along the perimeter of the walls.

Bragg introduces the play with his unmistakably warm cockney baritone and kicks things ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Gareth James - 24 April 2010:

This is the first play at the Wellcome Collection and takes place as a promenade performance in the galleries. It unfolds over three stages – a home, a pub and a church – with Billy Bragg and his band providing a musical commentary from a fourth stage. It’s part of their ‘identity’ project and follows an exhibition which explored its various aspects. The death of an old soldier exposes the tensions between the post-war values of a welcoming and open Britain and sets these alongside the more recent attitudes of a working class feeling threatened by immigration, ignored by government and recruited by nationalists like the BNP. The successful son, returning from the US for the funeral, is horrified at the racism. His brother, about to stand as a nationalist candidate, is outraged at the righteousness of someone who has escaped what he perceives as threats. It’s a very personal story, yet it makes its points very successfully with an admirable sense of balance. It seeks to explain rather than preach and I left both repelled by the racism but more understanding of how we got there. Playwright Mick Gordon and director Christopher Haydon have done an excellent job. Designer Tom Scutt has created a space which allows you to follow the story as if you’re actually peering through the windows of these places. There isn’t a fault in the casting. It seems somehow appropriate that Barking boy Billy Bragg provides the music with added commentary (and instructions) and his charm means he just about gets away with! For the second time in a few days, an intelligent and important state-of-the-nation play. GO!...

Read more and add your own review