It’s meta, Innit.
Watching a musical set in Salford, in Salford.
The Lowry, to be specific. To be even more specific, the Quays Theatre, that lovely little venue tucked round the back of the Lowry.
Whereas the majority of productions are hosted by the larger Lyric Theatre, which most of us will be familiar with, the Quays is actually my favourite and it’s a rare treat to see something there. In fact my first ever visit to the Lowry was back in, I think 2001. The show? The iconic Puppetry of the Penis. The second show I saw in there was a sit down with Will Self.
Eclectic.
So we come to only the third in 22 years, Innit Musical.
Based on the autobiographical story of actor and writer Micky Dacks, ‘Innit’ is about an 18 year old boy who falls in love and finds redemption from his troubled past, through music
First to say, there was absolutely no scrimping on the musical element of this energetic production. The original musical numbers by Dacks, Adam Burns and Ed Kainyek, (musically directed by Grant Russell) kept on coming.
‘Universal Credit’ pure ear worm, and just like the narrative itself, a balance of the sentimental and heartfelt, and the downright sharp and funny.
There was next to no musical genre left unexplored and, as promised, this covered everything from ‘ska to pop and hip-hop to rock ‘n’ roll’.
Innit takes you on a journey through a life on the edge – a group of lads in Salford for who living life is a cocktail of waggin’ (delete as appropriate) school/college/life to going on a graft, taxln’ shit to sell on down the pub to buy bling, nine bars (maybe even graduating to ching), decked out in quality treads and clobber,
evading the feds/dibble/pigs lest you find yourself in the sweatbox on the way to your new pad in prison. Bag of wank.
Oh yes, not for nothing did I scrutinise the brilliant slang dictionary included in the theatre programme…
I’ll pull out the lead actors (deservingly, of course), but there wasn’t a person on that stage who wasn’t brilliant in their role, and adding a delicious contribution to proceedings.
William Bours, who played main protagonist, Ashley Thompson, was astonishingly making his professional debut in this lead role. I say astonishing because up there he was an old hand. A graduate of The University of Salford, our actor was authentic in his portrayal of a lad in love with a local girl done good (I mean, she’d moved to Chorlton, for god’s sake), a lad who loves his mum Kelly (Amy Warhurst with a fantastically comedic performance straight out of the Royle Family), wants to better himself but can only take so many knocks from life before he finds himself back to a life of crime.
He gave heart, passion and vulnerability. We were on his side and that’s a job well done.
Ruthie Presh Lane, our love interest, our Stacey, brings a strong, assured presence to the stage, a beautiful singing voice, and we wanted our girl to get her happy ending whilst her man fought against the abusive upbringing and a society which was determined to put him ‘in his place’.
And so let’s talk about those scallies (aka James Smalley, Connor Darren James, Tom Gallagher, Jack Carroll, Oliver Kemplay).
That band of brothers who are living out their best hood life.
Those crafty lads whose choreographed, frenetic, very very funny song/rap and dance routines brought happiness, laughter and glee to this (and judging by the reactions around me, I’m not alone),theatre-goer. It was pure bros bringing West Side Story vibes to Salford (if West Side Story was a bit more sweary) and I was there for it.
I also just want to pull out one more scene. I never really liked Porridge (I know, strike me down) but I would turn up for an Innit spin-off of more from Smithy and his unhinged, psychotic brand of cellmate. Barrie Ryan English gave us Jack Nicholson in the Shining, Nicolas Cage, in frankly anything. And the two-hander between himself and Will Bours shone bright.
Micky Dacks and the team have done good. And I don’t just mean in this funny, fresh, frank and often dark story of redemption and hope. But in the autobiographical sharing of his own life lessons which he’s using to put back into the community.
The producers of this show are a young people’s Arts, education and wellbeing charity, I4YPC
Every penny of the money made from public ticket sales is going straight back into the pot to fund matinee seats for young people who might never have otherwise had that opportunity to experience theatre, to do so.
And Innit is spreading its message across the way to Quayside too. The ‘Innit Creative Hub’ at Quayside, courtesy of MediaCity and Salford Loading. There is an art gallery on one side of the double unit which is full of young people’s and community art, as well as crafts from local makers. The other side of the unit has been turned into Salford Coliseum Studio Theatre.
Our writer, director, and all round-hero Micky Dacks says,
I never intended to be a youth worker. It was one of those ‘it found me’ situations.
Well lucky for us all he did, especially the youth of Salford. But most definitely for us theatre-goers too.
Innit is on at the Lowry Theatre, Salford until 23 September. To book tickets and read more about the production, including an interview with Micky Dacks, visit:
honorary manc 
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