Activist, comedian, investigative journalist — Mark Thomas is a difficult man to pigeonhole.
However, on the back of this superb performance at Dundee Rep, you can say without any contradictions that he is truly a man of passion.
For an hour and a half (it felt less) he held the audience captive with tales of children serenading miners, great beer, missing badges and nail varnish.
Entitled The Red Shed, the show was a tribute to the Labour club of the same name in Wakefield, Yorkshire, a place that obviously holds a strong place in his heart.
We learned how it played a huge part in his student days in the county, acting as a backdrop to the story of his search for the children, who had sung as miners marched past their school on their way back to work after the strike of 84/85.
What could have been a dry rant was enlivened by his immaculately timed humour and humanity.
A storyteller and human observer supreme, you were drawn into his world courtesy of audience members acting out, via face masks, real-life conversations with friends. Sounds odd but believe me, it worked.
We even got to mumble “rhubarb rhubarb” out loud at one point – honest.
All the stories were told with relish and a genuine affection for the people involved. We felt we were right there on his quest through seemingly endless Yorkshire towns and villages, feeling his emotions along the way.
In these post-truth times, Mark Thomas is a breath of fresh air. We need him more than ever.
