EDINBURGH 2011: BWW Reviews: DUST, New Town Theatre, Aug 5 2011

Clare Maddox

Ade Morris's play invites us-in the words of his large-as-life Arthur Scargill-to step into a world that no longer contains a living Margaret Thatcher. As Scargill paces his flat, deflecting the slings and arrows of his publicist's mordant wit, they learn that the former PM has died, and the drama begins.

It's at first a tale of two Arthurs - Scargill and the 1920s union leader AJ Cook - but when the action moves on to the present-day worries of Chris and his wife, the ironically-named Maggie, it seems the worst of times is yet to come.

The play makes a strong link between the 1926 general strike and the 1984 miners' strike, and then brings the drama right up to date. Chris's anguished tirade about what Osborne's cuts will mean for his precarious job as a care worker could have come straight from any comment piece in today's paper.

Full of political passion and astonishingly relevant, 'Dust' never tips over into parody, even when Michael Strobel's Scargill puffs out his chest and delivers his stentorian speeches.

The debate about whether resistance is necessary or futile is played out between the characters, and the human costs of the miners' struggle and ultimate defeat are highlighted as the political concerns provide the context for a moving personal story.

The play moves towards an understated and elegant ending, and the appearance of a weary old miner with a hidden agenda only serves to emphasise the devastating impact of the mine closures on families and communities.

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