Musical tells the story of town’s boom and bust, high and low notes
TWELVE months ago, independent theatre company Twenty Seven Productions issued a press and social media release.
Company founder Katie Gibson apologised that following previews at ARC and Teesside Airport, the much anticipated new musical Steel and Iron would not be showing at Middlesbrough Town Hall during August.
The story had been briefed to follow the birth of Middlesbrough to the present day. From the small riverside hamlet that developed into a busy coal port transformed by the discovery of ironstone in the Eston Hills, into Gladstone’s ‘Infant Hercules’. The musical’s recurring theme following the town’s history was one of ‘boom and bust’.
A year later, a new production of Steel and Iron rewritten by John Hoggarth premiered at the Riverside Stadium this week and will run until Sunday.
This story follows local lass Stephanie returning to
Middlesbrough from a spell down south. A tale many of us can relate to, including creator Katie Gibson, who you may be more familiar with as Victoria, the daughter of Middlesbrough FC owner Steve Gibson.
Most of the cast are Teesside born and bred or based here, including Kerrianne Covell, who plays Steph, and fellow Teessiders Lucie Walker, Lucia Rovardi and Cameron Norrie (not that one).
A Scots-Irish migrant who has made Middlesbrough his home is making his acting debut as Ken, but Bernie Slaven is very familiar with performing in front of a Boro crowd.
Listening to a few pre-released musical numbers that include Industry, Born to Fly and We Shall Be, there is a range from tearjerkingly poignant to catchy sing-along, but all capturing that sound of home. This is just what you would expect from songwriters Alistair Griffin and Cattle and Cane.
Not forgotten is that famous selfdeprecating Teesside humour as displayed in Griffin’s ‘Me, I’m from Middlesbrough, Me’ and my favourite lyrics so far, “Your kids might have rickets but they’ve got season tickets”.
If you would like to know “What happens to a place which is defined by its heritage and industry, when those are taken away from it” and hear a story about Teesside written and performed by Teessiders, tickets may be still available via Middlesbrough FC.