The Pitmen Painters

Synopsis

In 1934, a group of Ashington miners 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. Examining the lives of a group of ordinary men that do extraordinary things, The Pitmen Painters is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.

Latest User Review

Gareth James - 22 June 2008:

I lived the first 18 years of my life in a mining village and both my father and brother were miners, so I'm hardly objective when it comes to plays like this. However, judging by the reaction of the largely southern middle class audience in the Cottersloe, I'm in the majority whereas joesmith (below) with his cynical 'victimhood' Borisism is in the minority. Lee Hall, as he did in Billy Elliott, has again got to the emotional core of these communities. This play is much more than the story of the extraordinary Ashington Group of pitmen painers. It's funny, moving, captivating and thoroughly entertaining. There's no set as such, but the terrific ensemble develop these fascinating characters and anchor the play fully in its time and place. Maybe it is a touch sentimental, but it's also one of the most human and thoroughly British plays I've seen. Give me Lee Hall's slices of social history over Pinter or Stoppard's glib pretension any day of the week. Thank you NT for bringing it south....

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