The rare sight of a North-East towing champion is returning to the region thanks to a new play

HARRY CLASPER is a name most people are not familiar with, but when you say "he's the rower the Blaydon Races was written for" their ears prick up, and when you say 130,000 people crowded the streets of Tyneside to pay their last respects when he died, in 1870, then they demand to know more.

Hadaway Harry, the story of Harry Clasper, will be told in a new play by Ed Waugh, who, with Trevor Wood co-wrote Dirty Dusting, Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Durham, Maggie's End and other national and international hit plays.

Hadaway Harry will tour Tyneside and visit the Durham Gala theatre to mark the 170th anniversary of Harry leading his brothers and their Uncle Ned to the world championship on the Thames, in June 1845.

It caused a sensation nationally and internationally.

The person chosen to play Harry Clasper in this unusual one-hander is Tyneside actor Jamie Brown, whose stage roles so far this year range from South Shields-born Anzac hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick and Henry V, to Prince Chop-a-lot in the Customs House pantomime.

It was while Brown was performing in Steve Burbridge's Testing Times last November that Waugh decided he'd found his Harry Clasper.

"Jamie was brilliant," says Waugh. "As well as being the right shape and size, he's a tremendous actor and such a nice lad. The only time both of us had free to discuss the role was very early one morning. We arranged to meet in South Shields at 8am. Jamie turned up ten minutes early."

"Hadaway" Harry Clasper was born in 1812, in Dunston, and his claim to fame is that he became the first North-East sporting superstar alongside three of his brothers and an uncle. Harry was one of 14 siblings and had 12 children himself.

Brown, 30, who became a father for the first time last November, can't wait to play Harry.

"The story of these North-East upstarts, who dared to go to London and wrest the world championship from the "unbeatable" Thamesmen is a classic David and Goliath tale. Even his nickname 'Hadaway Harry' speaks volumes about the man. It was a time before football became the mass sport of the working class. You can imagine tens of thousands of fans shouting that out to encourage him," says Brown

He gained a first-class acting degree from Bretton Hall, in West Yorkshire, and has acted professionally since 2006. A native of Gateshead, his starring roles have ranged from Hamlet to Scooby-Doo "and everything in between".

After six years of being based in London, during which time his credits include national tours of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It, as well as a season performing at The Royal Opera House, Brown returned to the North East and is in big demand as an actor.

Last month he starred in The Man and the Donkey at the Customs House in South Shields and after Hadaway Harry has projects lined up over the coming months within the region, that are "under wraps at the moment".

"When Ed asked me to perform in a one-man show about Harry, I was flattered, excited and petrified," says Brown. "I've played lead roles many times, but never on my own. We had a Hadaway Harry workshop in February and once I started getting the feel of the script it was brilliant. It's a fantastic play and covers Harry's life and times set during the industrial revolution.

"It's a fascinating story. The drama involves dedication, setbacks, overcoming adversity and, of course, victory. The race itself is breathtaking. Performing it live will be a moving experience for me and, hopefully, the audience."

Brown admits to having learned a lot from his background reading of the life and times of great athlete.

"I couldn't believe how popular rowing, or 'aquatics' as it was then called, was in the 19th Century. Hundreds of thousands used to line the river banks to cheer on their favorite rowers. It was civic pride, each river had its champion and Harry was the best in the North-East. He was also king of the Mersey and Scotland," he says.

Harry and this brothers have strong links with Durham. Apart from spending the first two years of his life in Dunston before moving to Jarrow, both of which were then in County Durham, a teenage Harry was a miner at Hetton pit and involved in the Great Strike of 1831. After the strike he moved back to Dunston where he set his mind on becoming a world champion rower. The rest, as they say, is history.

"Rowing at a Durham Regatta, Harry was 'taken out' during the single scullers' race by the amateurs who claimed that him being professional gave him an unfair advantage. Some people later threw stones at Harry and his brothers on their way to the starting line so they had to be withdrawn from the fours race," says Brown.

But Harry won at Durham many times. He also rowed and won on the Tees in Stockton and at Ebchester near Consett.

Harry's son, John Hawks Clasper, built boats on the river Wear in Durham.

"His boathouse was next to the Elvet Bridge and is now a pub," says Brown, who will be appearing as Harry Clasper at the Durham Regatta on June 13.

"Not only was Harry the greatest rower of his generation, he also designed the boats we see in the Olympics and Oxbridge races today and trained world champion rowers. Hadaway Harry has captured the public's imagination in the region. All of the venues have a resonance with Harry's life. Most are small and intimate, which will create a fantastic atmosphere.

“What I love about being an actor is new challenges. This role certainly is and I hope Hadaway Harry will pave the way for further exciting opportunities within the region and beyond.”

  • All tickets cost £10 and can be obtained as follows:

TOUR DATES

Marine Trust (Boathouse), South Shields, 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Monday, June 29, Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1. Tel 0191-4247788

Gala Theatre, Durham (as part of the Durham Miners Gala programme), Thursday, July 2, 7.30pm; Friday, July 3, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tel 03000 266600

The Low Light, North Shields, Saturday, July 4, 7.30pm; Sunday, July 5, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. 0191-2574506

Discovery Museum, Newcastle, Tuesday, July 7, 7.30pm; 2.30pm and 7.30m pm, Wednesday, July 8 and Thursday, July 9 Tel (0191) 232 6789 or (0191) 2774100

Bede's World, Jarrow, Friday, July 10, 7.30pm; Saturday, July 11, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. 0191-4892106 or 4247788

For further information visit edwaughandtrevorwood.co.uk

Hadaway Harry has been supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and South Tyneside Council