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Rocket
Man Group: Blues Brothers and Sisters |
| Ravi Bali | |
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Rocket Man is loosely based on the true story of a man who built a home for his sick mother on land that he had bought, and then shot and killed the planning official when he saw the authorities coming to destroy the house. The central character is Geordie hardman Jimmy Pride, a country and western fan (of discerning good taste, only ever listening to Hank Williams and Johnny Cash) who drives around in a souped-up hearse. He uses the redundancy money from his job at the steel mill to buy a plot of moor land on which he builds a new home for his ailing mother who has been living in a run down council place for too long. This is done in violation of English planning law, and sets Jimmy on a collision course with the authorities. Jimmy's desire for a space in which to be free, and his frustration that this can be blocked by bureaucratic regulations that don't seem to apply to the rich and powerful, feeds a rage that is very easy to understand and to identify with. This play deftly explores themes of love and loyalty in the working class. The relationships between Jimmy and his best friend Mickey, and with his ex-girlfriend Shirley (who is possibly mother to his son) are particularly well presented. The dialogue is very convincingly scripted, brilliantly capturing the lives and attitudes of this group of working class people, with great performances from all the actors that really bring the whole thing to life. The play is in turns both very funny and very sad as we see a man of honour and pride refusing to submit to rules he sees as unjust, but which he also knows are part of a system he cannot beat. 1 August to 25 August
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