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.
