A few years ago I had a few hours to kill in Morley. It’s a long story but it was actually a lot more fun than it might sound. And I remember it for a few very good reasons – not least because it was the first time I’d heard of Beryl Burton.
‘Beryl Burton Gardens? Who’s Beryl Burton and why does she have gardens named after her in Morley?’ My friends and I are the types to investigate – and let’s face it we had the time – so I’m glad we did.
We read as we walked through those gardens, and I couldn’t understand why I’d not heard more about her before. I’d lived in Leeds for 15 years at that point and yet didn’t know a thing about this world class cyclist and it seems I wasn’t the only one whose knowledge was lacking.
I guess this is a wrong that Maxine Peake – usually best known for her acting talents on stage and screen – wanted to put right. So write she did – first as play for Radio 4 in 2012 and now as a special commission for the West Yorkshire Playhouse, marking Peake’s theatre writing debut.
It follows Beryl’s life from childhood to champion, dedicated wife and mother to decorated award holder, and is told in a charming, funny and simple way. It’s a biography for the stage and brings to life key milestones – personal and professional – along with narration to tie them together.
In a story that spans several decades – Beryl was born in the 1930s and died in 1996 – Penny Layden takes the role of Beryl as an adult, with John Elkington Chelsea Halfpenny and Dominic Gately playing all other parts along the way. They’re a talented team and make it an entertaining, easy watch.
It’s also a compelling story and as so little is known about someone who achieved so much I think it would have been difficult to tell this tale any other way – we simply want and need to be told all the details for it to make sense.
Beryl was brought to the West Yorkshire Playhouse as part of the Yorkshire Festival and I’m pleased to report that Tour de France fever is still raging so the play’s run has been extended until 25th July.
Catch it if you can before it whizzes out of town – but my feeling is we’ve not seen the last of this. Perhaps a tour or even something for telly? Who knows, but my fingers are crossed that the story of a Leeds lass, written by one from the other side of those dramatic hills, will be back.
@clancywalker