It's not often I have a lump in my throat watching a drama. I'm made of stern stuff. But scenes from Ken Loach's Newcastle-made film I, Daniel Blake have caused it and now this first stage adaptation of the story, having its world premiere run at Northern Stage, brought the memory flooding back.
But this play, which is adapted from the film by the man who starred in it, is not just a reminder of the tale of a decent man failed by the benefits system but - seven years on from the film - it reflects the same situation today, we're told, with the cost of living crisis meaning poverty and food banks are a part of life for many. Dave Johns, the actor, writer and stand-up comedian who played the lead in the film, set out to update it for the stage and - like the play's director Mark Calvert - he wants to make audience angry.
From the reaction on Wednesday night, when you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium during the show, others felt the same emotions as me watching Daniel Blake, played here by well-known local actor David Nellist, trying and failing to access any help while he himself does his best to help others, namely new friend and single mother Katie who is driven to desperate measures in her own fight for survival.
Read more: Ken Loach attends Newcastle premiere of I, Daniel Blake
And it is a fight. Daniel Blake is also made of stern stuff; he's worked hard and he cared for his late wife for years but when you keep getting battered there's only so long you can stand it. Nellist, who recently starred in Love It If We Beat Them at Live Theatre, is excellent in the role.
He's an everyman, like somebody we all know and so we relate to him and feel for him, from his initial awkward attempts to help Katie to his lonely grief as he clutches a photo of his wife. And while a big screen above shouts out with job fair banners and political slogans, it's the subtleties in scenes like these that leave as much of an impression.
The same can be said of co-star Bryony Corrigan (Vanessa in BBC's The Goes Wrong Show) who plays Katie, a woman at the end of her tether and the brave face she's been putting on for the sake of daughter Daisy slips to reveal her inner torment whenever she's alone. And I particularly liked Jodie Wild's performance as Daisy, both innocent of life but knowing about hardship, whose growing friendship with Daniel brings the play's few moments of light relief.
Another welcome break from the grim tale is a rap scene that's slotted into the show with local musician Kema Sikazwe who is the only cast member to have appeared in the film and is back here in the role of the savvy and likeable China, Daniel's neighbour.
The ensemble cast, also including Micky Cochrane and Janine Leigh, are all good; a difference with the film being that there's no single job centre employee here showing a more human side. Without exception they are unsympathetic, cold jobsworths making this feel very much an 'us and them'.
The show is visually arresting too, those scenes - played out with a backdrop of music created by The Futureheads' Ross Millard - are dark and dingy with pops of green and on that big screen we are shown politicians' tweets and again hear words which come back to bite.
From a description of the film at the time as just a 'work of fiction' to more recent quotes about unemployment, the words are here thrown back at them. As part of Johns' updating of the story, we hear the voices of Boris Johnson and Theresa May. The NHS and migrant boat crossings flash up on screen too.
It all serves its purpose and Johns and the whole team, tasked with a big responsibility, pull it off, with a play - set to follow up with a national tour - that brings everything that shocked first time around back into the spotlight.
After those long moments of absolute silence, the audience were on their feet at the end giving a well-deserved standing ovation.
I, Daniel Blake runs at Northern Stage until June 10 and is sold out but there will be another chance to see it in the autumn when, with dates added to its national tour, it will be back at the Newcastle theatre from September 12-16 followed by a run at Durham's Gala Theatre from September 26-30. For tickets and details of the tour see here.
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