Council Depot Blues

Dave Kirby’s Council Depot Blues has come of age and is not simply a good night but is instead a truly fabulous night out.

Based around the last day of Old Stan, a man who has spent his working life emptying houses for the Liverpool Corporation and played with brilliant understatement by Phil Hearne, this is a story with such sentimental depth it is easy to see that its written from the heart of Dave Kirby. Not that the desperation of the job is ever shoved down the audience’s throat, but there it most certainly is and gives the piece an edge that would not exist in the hands of anybody else.

Bringing out this depth are Andrew Schofield who shows not only that he can act supremely well but also that he can play just about any instrument under the sun. Added to this are the talents of Shaun Mason whose mesmerising versatility belies his age, Lindzi Germain whose boisterous presence fills the stage, Paul Broughton whose nastiness provides the necessary conflict and Jake Abraham whose drug-loving Fitzy underlines what it means to be trapped in a dead end job.

Then there’s the multi-talented Howard Gray who plays Norman, a character drawn from life that can only be described as comic genius every step of the way.

When Council Depot Blues first went on stage in 2008, it was a night filled with some good music and a lot of laughs. Now with this second production with everything so much tighter, the cast so much more at ease in their roles, it is quite simply a joy to watch from start to finish.

Chris High.

Interview with author Dave Kirby - July 2010 by Chris High

Council Depot Blues review 2008 by Chris High