Wonderland, Hampstead Theatre

Marking the 30th anniversary  of the mining strikes, Beth Steel’s epic new work Wonderland explores the struggles, friendships and milestones of a miner’s life. Set in the eighties, straddling Nottingham and London, the play shines a powerful light on Thatcher’s government and on the effect the strikes had on countless British families. Apprentices Jimmy and Malcolm, are confronted with their imminent manhood. But at times it seems that being a miner requires far more than they expected. 

The play was one of ten finalists in The Susan Blackburn Prize for Best New Play— an award aimed encouraging female playwrights. This is only Steel’s second play but her debut, Ditch, at the Old Vic Tunnels was praised by The Independent for its “glinting, compassionate humour” and described by The Telegraph as “ detailed and compelling .” Steel grew up in a pit town and always had a fascination with the underground world of miners. She wanted to look into the very minutiae of mining culture and went down into working mines for seven hours at a time as part of her research.  If you enjoyed the fantastic Welsh mining play Land of Our Fathers at Theatre 503 last year then you will love this too. 

Artistic Director of the Hampstead, immensely talented Edward Hall (son of Peter Hall) will be directing and promises a transformation of the main theatre stage, live music and very physical performances. Hall is perhaps most famous for founding the Propeller Theatre Company; an all male Shakespeare troupe whose productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and many more have toured the world. 

Also recognisable from many Propeller productions, Dugald Bruce-Lockheart and Gunnar Cauthery are part of the 12-man cast. Other faces include Paul Rattray (Father Ted) and Michael Cochrane (the malevolent Henry Simmerson from TV series Sharpe).

A collaboration between the Hampstead’s artistic director and this up-and-coming playwright sounds like the perfect match. And while also laying bare the devastation of mining life in 1984, the story at its heart is uplifting, funny and one of great humanity.