Wigan Casino play

**SandraDee** · February 12th, 2003, 06:11 AM

Thought this may be of interest to any Northern Soul fans here in the north of England (or D.Disk if you're this way soon)- a play all about the scene & its at the Contact theatre in Oxford Road her in Manchester; listen to Richard searling on Jazz FM as he'll have the dates.

**DISCODISK** · February 12th, 2003, 03:20 PM

thanks steely,ill try to ring the contact later,providing its not on in the next few weeks for sure ill go over for that i was only saying on the phone home the other day im due a visit best get me trakkies ready!

**SandraDee** · February 13th, 2003, 04:40 PM

& your shell suits!

**jazz_pilgrim** · February 14th, 2003, 09:17 AM

Don't suppose anybody will ever make a play about the Purley Top Rank .... :(

**DISCODISK** · February 15th, 2003, 06:40 PM

STEELY it starts tues and ends sat 1st march and i believe some nights are sold out already.these dates make it really difficult for me but im going to try my best will look into flights this week i might just make sat 1st,can you tell me where is this theatre in relation to oxford rd train station? this play looks as though its going to be good with lots of humour & music.
and JAZZ ill ask the cast if they can do one about purley top rank but i think they will say no probibly because they could never consume those vast amounts of alcahol :lol:

**SandraDee** · February 18th, 2003, 06:44 PM

D.Disk, Contact theatre is about a mile or so along Oxford Road as you head south away from the city centre. It's a very strange-looking building on the right side of the road; you'd be hard-pushed to miss it! I must try to get tickets myself b4 they all go!! :-?

**DISCODISK** · February 22nd, 2003, 05:29 PM

steely i sent you a private msg i dont think it went i was in crisis i booked my flight phoned the contact and the last night is sold out,ive been on the phone every night to the theatre beggin ,cryin and screamin and the nice lady phoned today shes found just one ticket ! phew and the last night will be the best as something has been added, russ winstanley ex casino d.j is giving a speech thing,did you get a ticket ? though i think demand has been so high theyve added a sat afternoon session,i cant wait even though everything will be rushed [i have to fly to birmingham and get the train] next the movie im sure it will happen in the next few years :P

**markydefad** · February 22nd, 2003, 05:38 PM

DD or SD,

Why don't you fill us foreigners in on what Wigan Casino was????!!!! I'm assuming a dance club, but what was the big deal????

**DISCODISK** · February 22nd, 2003, 06:10 PM

marky i think ive gone into this before in this northern soul section.
wigan casino was just the biggest northern soul all nighter ther ever was it ran from 73-81.wigan is a small lancashire town the building was a massive old ballroom with a minature version within, very run down dark and thousands flocked there every week from all over great britain whatever way they could get there if you were lucky enough to have a car great otherwise you would have to hitch-hike in some cases 100s of miles or jump the train[travelling without purchasing a ticket,then all exit together at speed leaving the ticket collector spinning!]
99.9999 % of the kids were high on anphetamines and everybody was quite young just creating this electric atmosphere with a style of dancing you wouldnt believe,you HAD to be fit.when you ran up the stairs [nobody walked] your heart was pounding pulled open the door it all hit you the music the heat the atmosphere every week i pulled open that door and thought to myself "fucking hell"
im going to post this for fear of loosing it and continue.....

**markydefad** · February 22nd, 2003, 06:17 PM

Ah yes, now I remember!!!! :oops:

**DISCODISK** · February 22nd, 2003, 06:37 PM

......... it was also the friendliest place you could ever imagine as it was like a big secret nobody else knew what the hell was going on there,the police,local people,the council,the press boy, was there outcry so all this added to the excitement getting chased by the police,police roadblocks the high of the fear, remember england was a very different place then if you were caught with a pocket full of amphetamines you were in trouble!i still have a broken back tooth done by the police to prove it!
a lot of people wouldnt thank me for saying this but for me the casino had two fantastic years but the new records wernt coming fast enough for me so an hours drive up the road was ian levines rival club was where i would defect to where a whole new sound was emerging but as blackpool mecca ended at 2a.m we would still end up down the road at wigan for the crack these kids were pioneers of something that is quite normal today they created a whole way of life its something im proud of,since the casino i went to many other clubs and many other all night clubs and none has ever come close to the atmosphere that wigan had,thats why in manchester there is such a buzz about this play were talking about, its packed out and i guarantee everyboby that comes out of this theatre will be crying ! im not really sure how they can do this in a play i know some of it centres on the q to get in, the crush,the wheelin and dealin the humour and the doormen screaming "stop pushing at the baaaack" !! :lol:

**SandraDee** · February 25th, 2003, 04:43 PM

DD, I'm going to see it on Saturday afternoon; that was all that was left & it suits us anyway. Might see you there!

**DISCODISK** · February 25th, 2003, 05:43 PM

thats great youve got tickets steely,what time does the afternoon one start ? i shouldnt think id see you there as youll be long gone before the night ? my plan was to get in town for the last hour in the record shop,eat something then head down there at 7 for 8,then after jump on the train at oxford road and head for those dirty sleazy rough liverpool clubs !

**SandraDee** · February 25th, 2003, 06:22 PM

It starts at 3pm so its quite a bit b4 the evening one DD. You behave y'self in those sleazy places! :) (we've got so much in common havent we?- disco, stoke & sleaze!!)