Fine insight into local journalism

Before Bristol
Old Red Lion

By Ronan Murphy

Before Bristol is a dark, yet oddly touching comedy that draws upon writer and director Robert Meakin’s lengthy career in journalism.
Although Meakin has worked for national newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph and the Independent, it is his experience in small town local papers that forms the foundation of his latest play.
Before Bristol is the story of the staff of the northern Heaton Express, a paper in decline and on the verge of being absorbed by a richer local rival.
The heart of the play is Jonathan Oliver’s excellent performance as editor Brian Squire. Squire is pompous and brash, but it is a testament to Meakin’s writing that although the character is very funny he never comes across as a parody. Squire may treat his book of all the best contacts in Heaton as an almost absurdly sacred bible, but the play clearly indicates that it is this level of commitment that is required for local journalism to function.
The rest of the cast put in strong performances. In particular, the dynamic between Squire, Victoria Meakin’s Kate and Richard Walker’s Geoffrey as the long-serving group of colleagues on the verge of going their separate ways feels touchingly genuine.
There is also a pleasingly poisonous performance by Ian Watkins, formerly known as H from the pop group Steps, who plays the astonishingly nasty Dave Grimes.
A word must also be said for the set design, which is delightfully nuanced in the manner in which it reflects the nature of life at the Heaton Express and indeed the events of the play itself. The only major problem with the production is an ending which seeks to throw in some sensationalist plot twists that hardly seem necessary.
Beyond Bristol’s strengths lie not in any elaborate plot but in the wit of Meakin’s dialogue, an excellent cast and the insight the play gives into local journalism.

Until July 1
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