Rep Talk: ‘Stand up Nigel Barton’

Whanganui's Repertory Theatre.

Stand Up Nigel Barton is a semi-autobiographical play by Dennis Potter, the son of a coalminer who won a scholarship to Oxford University. The play opens with Nigel and his father‚ Harry, walking up the street in their village, Nigel on the footpath, Harry in the middle of the road.

“Why walk in the road?” Harry asserts his independence, all miners walk in the road. Nigel is trying to sort out his confusion over his place in the world. He felt he was never accepted among his school-fellows as being smarter than most of them - he was favoured by teachers and bullied by his classmates.

British Playwright, author and journalist Dennis Potter.

As an adult at Oxford, he doesn’t feel entirely comfortable mixing with the privileged wealthy students. He’s not used to having a “scout” ( Oxford University servant) who addresses him as “Sir” and polishes his shoes.

When he returns to his home village during the summer holidays, he’s again regarded with suspicion. Has he betrayed his roots? As Nigel says at one point “ ... it’s two different worlds ... I don’t feel I belong anywhere in particular.”

When he takes part in a television discussion entitled “Does Class Matter?” his parents are hurt and angry. His mother seeks reassurance: ”It’s clean enough here Nigel. You could eat off the floor.” Harry, very angry, marches out of the house, declaring he is off to the club and would come home rolling. Despite Harry‘s inverted snobbery, he’s really proud of his son’s achievements.

“When you were a little boy he vowed you’d never go down the pit ... ‘he’s got to get away from this place’, he used to say. ‘He’s got to get away’,” Mrs Barton consoles her son. Nigel, deciding to effect a reconciliation with his father, catches up with him on the street.

Harry‘s pleased Nigel has decided to join him but tells him that he, Harry, will walk up the middle of the road.

Repertory Theatre’s play Reading Group enjoyed reading this play (by one of our favourite playwrights) in January.

A great deal of the humour lies in the parts of children being played by adults, as in Blue Remembered Hills, while some of the piquancy lies in the juxtaposition of two very different worlds.

In February we will read the second Nigel Barton play, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton. It promises to keep us well entertained. Do come and join us at 7pm, Wednesday, February 28.