Pride at the National Theatre review: funny and emotional
It’s a joyous film about the relationship between the miners and gay-rights campaigners.
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And now it’s a musical, showing at the Dorfman Theatre inside the National.
I can’t help but think it would be a better play than it is a musical. Just before the performance, iconic 80s tracks are pumped through the auditorium and legendary photos from the decade are shown to the audience.
When the show started, I hoped to hear some of these powerful tracks that we all know and love. Instead, the playlist is made up of fairly generic original songs.
The cast is spectacularly talented - they’re charismatic, funny and good looking too.
The miners and the LGBT activists have something in common: their treatment by brutal police officers, mainly at protest marches.
The LGBT campaigners set up a group called LGSM - Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, which is operated from the Gay’s The Word bookshop (which remains on Marchmont Street in central London - it is now the oldest LGBT bookshop in the UK).
There’s a disgusting amount of homophobia, much of it linked to the AIDS crisis, but the groups overcome their differences and all take to the streets together.
This might be because I have seen the film, but the show felt a bit predictable.
It’s a feel-good show, with a few difficult scenes throughout. It’ll definitely make you laugh!
Pride is at the Dorfman Theatre until 12th September.
