I, Daniel Blake - Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

A single mother struggling to make ends meet to support her daughter. A young teenage girl teased at school because she cannot afford proper sanitation. A middle-aged man unable to return to work because of a heart attack, and yet denied access to the proper financial support. What do these people have in common? A messed-up system. A system which has refused to look upon the havoc that it wreaks. A system which feeds on the desperation of those unfortunate enough to ever have to rely upon it. That needs to change.

Photography: Pamela Raith

It was said by the writer of this piece, Dave Johns, that whilst adapting the award-winning screenplay for this show, he wanted to make the story as relevant as possible by bringing hope to the audience that light follows even the darkest of times. Sadly, he found that not much had changed since the movie was released in 2016. In fact, the cost-of-living crisis affects more people now than it did at the time. Although seemingly disheartening, I, Daniel Blake echoes one particular message: you have been given a voice – use it. This message is relevant to any audience, whether they are in a similar situation to the characters on stage, or they are just hearing about it on the news. We all have the power to stand up and demand change, it is our right and duty to do so.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)

(Ticket gifted to Adventures in Theatreland in exchange for an honest review)

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