If you made a list of people who really ought to be famous in Britain’s recent history – but aren’t – Walter Tull would be somewhere near the top. A local hero in Northampton, we have a statue of him at the Guildhall, and there’s a Walter Tull House and even Walter Tull Way skirts around Northampton Town’s football ground at Sixfields. But who was he?
That’s the question that Dougie Blaxland and Chris Anthony answer in their quite brilliant and intimate musical play Our Little Hour, commissioned by Show Racism The Red Card in association with Live Wire Theatre, and currently ending its run with three nights at the Royal and Derngate. Walter Tull was one of five children born in Folkestone, in 1888 to Barbados-born Daniel and Alice; when he was seven Alice died of cancer and his father remarried Clara, her cousin. They had another child, but then Daniel died shortly afterwards. Clara found it impossible to look after the entire family, so Walter and his older brother Edward were sent to a Home in Bethnal Green.
The play takes us from Walter’s carefree early childhood days, through the heartache of losing his parents and being sent away to a strict orphanage, to his successful football career. Walter always had an impressive talent for football, which came to fruition when he played first for non-league Clapton, then Tottenham Hotspurs no less, and finally moving to Northampton Town (big local cheers) where he settled down – and fell in love with his landlady, Emily, in Rushden. But then the First World War came, and Tull enlisted with the Army. He rose to prominence with his gallantry and leadership skills, becoming the first black Commissioned Officer in the Army. His bravery on the Italian Front led him to being recommended for the Military Cross; but he was killed in action in March 1918 before it could be awarded.
On a simple set, with just a few props but some very effective lighting, the cast of three enact the life of Tull with superb characterisations, impeccable clarity of speech and stunning vocal harmonies. Dougie Blaxland’s text is elegantly written and deals with difficult subjects like racism, injustice and grief with subtlety and delicacy, and Chris Anthony’s score dovetails perfectly into the story, and, like any good musical, always drives the narrative forwards. It reminded me strongly of arguably the best show in the genre, Howard Goodall’s The Hired Man, with its piano accompaniments and plaintive storytelling; and whilst it doesn’t have the impact of that groundbreaking show, it still packs a punch. That’s not a grotesque, painful punch, but a graceful, subtle punch that always lands its blow with precision and a lightness of touch. An example of this is the scene where Tull is writing home from the Front – his letters to Emily talk about how beautiful the countryside is and what the food is like; and are recited side-by-side with his letters to his brother which tell the brutality of war.
Leon Newman, Neil Reidman and Susie Broadbent work together as a seamless ensemble of three but also shine in their own individual roles. Mr Newman is outstanding as Walter, exuding a charismatic nobility and honesty that truly impresses. He is also excellent as the firm but fair Reverend in charge of the Folkestone church and who deposits the Tull boys in the orphanage; and as the Glaswegian Warnock who adopts Edward Tull – who himself went on to become the first mixed-heritage person to qualify as a dentist in Britain.
Susie Broadbent gives us a terrific range of characters including Alice and Clara Tull, the no-nonsense matron at the orphanage, and a very funny contribution as the manager of Spurs. Neil Reidman is great as the spirited (and spiritual) Daniel Tull, the orphanage boss, and as Herbert Chapman, the manager of Northampton Town. It’s impossible to list all their roles, because there are so many, each one clearly characterised so we never have any doubt as to whom they are portraying.
If I have a criticism, it would be that it’s a little hard to get a sense of the timings involved in Tull’s story. The play doesn’t, for example, convey the fact that Tull played for Northampton for four seasons with 111 first-team appearances; it feels more like he was only there briefly before the war started. And Emily mispronounces the name of the River Nene, which is a capital offence in Northampton! At times extremely sad, but also extraordinarily uplifting, this is a beautiful, simple but impressive production which fills a gap in our history. The run ends on Saturday 2nd November, but hopefully this marvellous show and its terrific performances will have a life in the future.
Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!