With democracy being such a hot topic in the news at the moment it pays to remember that 200 years ago ordinary folk were  still a long way from getting the vote, let alone having the chance to make their feelings known in a referendum, a webpage or on social media. 1817, northern England: a group of disgruntled and cynical workers decided to take matters into their own hands and launch a rebellion. Most were skilled artisans who were being forced into poverty by the arrival of new, faster, cheaper methods of manufacture; they began breaking into factories to destroy the new equipment and they called themselves Luddites. These days that term means something more derogatory: those who may be against new technology. It can´t be use to describe the performers in this show who use all the advantages of modern equipment to tell the story of one particular character from this era: Jeramiah Brandreth.

Jack Dean raps, sings, chants and shouts the story; his words conveniently projected onto the screen behind him. He is passionate and animated; telling the tale, voicing the characters and acting the scenes. His backing musicians use looping, recorded music and  a multitude of effects pedals to create and play the tunes and soundscapes which accompany the vocal performance. Hanno Rigger does electric guitar and bass, and has the largest array of tech at his feet. On his right Dominie Hooper underscores with her cello. On the other side Yoon-ji Kim flashes and bows on the violin. At times the musicians complement Jack with vocals and harmonies. This works well and could have been used more often to flesh out the performance, which appears somewhat one dimensional at times. The back projections are also effective and could have been utilised more efficiently and more often, as they provide a visual key for what is essentially a one hour forty minute vocal performance by Jack Dean. That’s not to say that he doesn’t hold our attention… he is an engaging, confident and powerful performer, and has written a good story with realistic characters to bring to life a fascinating element from British history. There is drama and death, friendships and foes, lies and treachery in the narrative and Jack has a talent for giving these elements an oral life. The Lighting and AV design(Katrin Padel and Tim Reid respectively) is subtle . I don´t usually mind this but here more would have been better. Theatre is a visual art and that’s not so obvious in this show.

Things have changed since 1817: it took another hundred years for universal male suffrage, in 1918, and ten more years to achieve votes for women. One hundred years on from that and the modern beats, sounds and vocalisations of Jack and his crew bring us a bold and energetic drama, a worthy show.    ★★★☆☆    Adrian Mantle    12^th September 2019