Boys From The Blackstuff Review

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Watching Boys from the Blackstuff at the Regent Theatre was a complex experience for me—emotionally powerful in parts, but not quite what I expected overall. The performances were deeply committed and the storytelling raw and real, yet I found myself struggling to connect with it on the level I’d anticipated.

My interest in this play was sparked by my own family history. I grew up hearing stories from my nan about the miners’ strikes—how whole communities were torn apart, how people pulled together to survive when there was nothing, and how pride and resilience were often the only things they had left. Her stories were vivid, heartbreaking, and filled with admiration for the strength of the working-class families around her. Those stories stayed with me, especially as I navigated my own challenges as a young parent trying to make ends meet. I thought Boys from the Blackstuff would echo those same themes.

Going in, I wrongly assumed the play would focus on the mining communities and the strike action during the Thatcher era. I hadn’t done my research and expected it to reflect the narratives I’d grown up hearing. Instead, the play centred on a group of unemployed men in Liverpool, whose lives were devastated by mass unemployment—not miners, but road workers and labourers facing a different kind of systemic collapse.

Because I didn’t share that specific lived experience, and because my expectations were shaped by my nan’s memories of the strikes, I didn’t emotionally connect with the story in the way I’d hoped. That said, certain scenes really did hit hard. The moment one character shoots his goose—a quiet act of desperation and loss—felt symbolic of the sacrifices people make in silence. That image stayed with me. And the slow-motion sequence was haunting, allowing the audience to sit in the emotional weight of their struggles without words getting in the way.

Even though I didn’t fully relate to the story, I deeply appreciated the craft. The cast were phenomenal—honest, vulnerable, and completely convincing. The production itself was tight and well-paced, capturing the bleakness of the era without slipping into melodrama. I have no doubt that those who lived through that particular time, or who experienced the psychological and social toll of long-term unemployment, would find this play deeply moving.

For me, Boys from the Blackstuff served as a reminder of how personal history shapes our expectations. It also gave me a renewed respect for the untold stories that sit alongside the ones passed down through family—different voices, different cities, but the same fight to hold onto dignity when the world turns its back.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Boys From The Blackstuff is playing now at the Regent Theatre in Stoke On Trent, until Saturday 14th June. Tickets can be purchased from the Box Office or by visiting www.atgtickets.com