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This was our second production of this musical play
written by the late Bill Owen (better known as Compo in Last of the Summer Wine). Based on fact, the play recounts the tale of the strike
by the girls employed at the Bryant & May match factory in 1888 when
unions were still grasping for recognition and mass withdrawal of labour
was almost unheard of as a strategy in industrial relations. It was a grim
episode, the workers driven to rebel against appalling working conditions
and discipline maintained by a system of crippling fines and sanctions. In
spite of this, the show is exuberant and funny, utilising the natural wit
of the ‘cockney sparrow’ whilst retaining the tale of their victory over
what was callous and unbending management. We can recommend this show to
societies who are as desperately short of men as we are at the
moment!
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