The story of Sara Wesker, a communist trade unionist who led four strikes in the garment industry in the east End of London between 1926 to 1930, organising the women strikers to sing songs to protest and to raise money. She was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain and took part in the Battle of Cable Street against Oswalk Mosley’s black-shirted British Union of Fascists.
It was a one-hander monologue. Although it was performed in character and included songs, it felt more like a lecture than a play (although, with the songs and the subject matter, there was a feel of Threepenny Opera): it was more interesting than entertaining. There was a strongly didactic feel about it. I felt that it hoped to be appreciated more for what it was saying than for how it was saying it.
Part of the problem was the portrayal of the protagonist. Other characters, relegated to the status of bit parts in the story of her life, had weaknesses but she didn’t. She was always strong. She never seemed to have a crisis of confidence or a dark moment of the soul. She never wavered. She was never overwhelmed by her circumstances. In short, she was too good to be true. Perhaps this was true to the original but it undermined the dramatic potential of the piece.
It was written by J J Leppink and performed superbly by Lottie Walker in the role of Sara Wesker. She sang to a flawless live keyboard accompaniment performed by the musical director James Hall who also composed such music as was original.
The performance I attended was at the Grove Theatre in Eastbourne on 14th March 2025.
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