Showing @ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Mon 13 – Sat 18 May

The history of art is filled with tales of painters travelling to the south of France or Italy to chase the light. The characters in Lee Hall’s play, based on the real life story of the Ashington Group, have no such luxury. Spending their lives in both literal and figurative darkness, with none of them having encountered art before, the five find their illumination through new found artistic talents.

The transition from the group’s initial hesitant, not to say resistant, attitude towards art through to passionate arguments about the artistic, social and political value of a ‘blob’, is a testament both to art’s transformative power and Hall’s mastery of tone; moving from broad comedy to affecting drama with sure-footed ease. Although the play is ostensibly an ensemble piece, much of the drama focuses on the character of Oliver Kilbourn (Philip Correia). Kilbourn, like Hall’s most famous character – Billy Elliot, is forced to choose between loyalty to community and class and the opportunity afforded him by his friendship with the wealthy art patron Helen Sutherland (Suzy Cooper) and their scenes together paint a vivid portrait of the two different Britains they live in.

In a play filled with long discussions on art, politics, class, culture and belonging it’s inevitable that The Pitmen Painters occasionally feels didactic, but Hall leavens the tone with frequent humour and, particularly in the character of Jimmy (Donald McBride), there are some choice one-liners which undermine any descent into self-indulgent profundity. The plays ends as Labour sweeps to power in 1945 and the characters give a beautiful threnody to the future socialist utopia which was never to arrive. Even those who have never quite warmed to Hall’s romantic leftism can’t fail to be moved after having watching two hours of raised hopes and consciences. Much like the art of the Ashington Group, this is a play which has hidden depths. Although accessible, often funny and very entertaining you leave the theatre enlightened about both a fascinating slice of unfamiliar history and about art, it’s meaning, it’s purpose and who has ownership of it.