THE film of I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach and
written by Paul Laverty was a hard-hitting film, which politicians claimed it
was a work of fiction. Now it has been adapted for the stage by Dave Johns, the
actor who played Daniel Blake in the film, now with the posters emphasising ‘This
is not fiction.’ Unfortunately, this is still a highly relevant message to
audiences today.
The show opens, as in the film, with Daniel Blake, David
Nellist, being asked questions such as can he raise his hand? Has he any pets? Which
give him a score showing he can work or not. He is in this situation after suffering
a heart attack with the Doctor telling him he is not fit to work. The benefit
system has other ideas, classing him fit to work. creating hoops, he will need
to jump through in order to receive anything. In the benefits office, he meets
Katie Jenkins, Bryony Corrigan, and her daughter, Daisy, Jodie Wild. They’ve
just arrived in Newcastle and missed her appointment, meaning sanctions may be
imposed. A delightfully though unlikely friendship develops, where support is
given to each other. Dave Nellist perfectly portrays Daniel as an honest, hardworking
man, where Bryony Corrigan shows the proud Katie becoming more desperate as the
situation develops and beginning to act out of character. There are lighter
moments throughout, though you can feel the audience becoming tense as the
conclusion draws nearer. There was a mixture of emotions from the audience,
silence, tears and a unanimous standing ovation.
There are some people who will abuse the system and take
advantage, but there will be so many more people who are just like Daniel Blake
and Katie Jenkins, who are just needing support from the system just to
survive.
The current run is already sold out, but it will return to
Northern Stage 12th – 16th September.
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