A 2016 film written by Paul Laverty, directed by Ken Loach, and starring Dave Johns in the title role, I, DANIEL BLAKE won the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, the 2017 BAFTA for the Best British Film, and multiple international awards too numerous to mention. According to a Rotten Tomatoes review retrieved in 2020, “I, DANIEL BLAKE marks yet another well-told chapter in director Ken Loach’s powerfully populist filmography.” Clearly, this was a film which captured the heart of audiences and warned of overwhelming bureaucracy. Given the film’s popularity, actor Dave Johns, Daniel Blake in the film, wrote a stage version updated to 2022 which debuted in 2023 in the UK. The Fountain Theatre is proud to present the U.S. premiere of I, DANIEL BLAKE in 2024. To quote the Fountain Theatre Artistic director Stephen Sachs, “Daniel Blake, the kindhearted hero in the play…asks for one thing: to be seen as a human being.”
JD Cullum and Janet Greaves – Photo by Cooper Bates
The place is the UK, and the time is now. Daniel Blake (JD Cullum) is a 59-year-old carpenter who has worked hard all his life – until he suffers a heart attack and is told by his physician that he cannot return to work. Instead, he is advised to apply for an unemployment and support allowance from the government. This is when his problems truly begin. In a Kafkaesque chain of events, Daniel tries every which way to cooperate with the rules. He waits one and two hours on hold trying to reach various government departments on the phone – to no avail. When the computer illiterate man is told that he must fill out all applications on the computer, he is flummoxed but tries to comply. When he is told that he must apply for multiple jobs even though he has been medically forbidden to work, he gamely goes to a class teaching him how to construct a CV and makes multiple applications for jobs which he cannot accept. When he complains, he is sanctioned without any real recourse and must wait longer and longer for benefits while he sells off his few belongings in order to survive.
Makara Gamble and Philicia Saunders – Photo by Cooper Bates
Meanwhile, he encounters Katie (Philicia Saunders) and her young daughter Daisy (Makara Gamble), who are in pretty much the same boat. When Katie and Daisy move to Newcastle from London, where they were living in shelters, they find that trying to comply with the rigid governmental rules and regulations leave them close to starvation. It is fated that Daniel must meet Katie and Daisy; he tries desperately to help them even though he has almost nothing himself. Clearly, the trio are in desperate straits and can’t seem to find a way out. Summarizing the key theme in the play, Daniel finally opines: “I am not a blip on the computer screen or a national insurance member…I am a man.”
JD Cullum and Adam Segaller – Photo by Cooper Bates
The story is fiction, but the play features real speeches, factual interviews, and social media posts. Skillfully helmed by producing director Simon Levy, I, DANIEL BLAKE is a bleak and poignant portrayal of one man’s fight to survive in an unforgiving and cold bureaucracy which robs people of their dignity and self-respect. Kudos to the entire cast, especially Cullum, Saunders, and Gamble, who do most of the heavy lifting. I, DANIEL BLAKE is a thought-provoking, stimulating, and challenging look at the world today, warts and all.
Makara Gamble and Philicia Saunders – Photo by Cooper Bates
I, DANIEL BLAKE runs through November 24, 2024, with performances at 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029. Tickets range from $25 to $45 (seniors $35; students $25; Pay-What-You-Want on Mondays subject to availability). For information and reservations, call 323-663-1525 or go online.
Splash Magazines
Be the first to comment