'Not a dry eye left in the house'
Michael Barnett, 28, died from hypothermia in flood water, despite a four-hour bid to free him from a drain in Astral Close, Hessle.
His father, also called Michael, watched a new production called Every Time It Rains, which has just opened at Hull Truck Theatre.
He told the Mail: "It was tastefully done. I don't think there was a single dry eye in the house. It was very emotional and extremely powerful.
"But I am really glad it was done. I know I would have regretted not going along to watch it."
The play is dedicated to East Yorkshire's only fatality of the floods.
It opened last Thursday at the new £15m Hull Truck Theatre in Ferensway and tells the story of the June 25 disaster, which swamped parts of Hull and the East Riding.
A firefighter who was part of the desperate attempt to rescue Michael was also among the audience.
Mr Barnett, 67, of west Hull, said: "Nobody in the audience recognised me, except this one man. He was sat only a few seats away with his wife.
"He was one of the firefighters who helped try to save my son. I recognised him because six of them came round my house to see me after Michael died.
"Every now and then I looked over at this firefighter. The emotions he was going through were very similar to mine. Michael's death hit them.
"After the play, this firefighter came up to me, put his hand on my back and shook my hand."
The play – written by Rupert Creed and directed by Gareth Tudor Price – shows the impact the freak weather had on family life.
Mr Barnett said: "Before I watched the play, I must admit, I was in two minds as to whether it should have been done. But Rupert came to see me and assured me it would be done sympathetically.
"The story needs to be told. Others may not have lost a son in the floods, but a lot of people suffered."
Mr Creed said: "We wanted Mr Barnett to be involved at every stage of the play."
Mr Creed admitted writing a play script around a local man's death just two years ago was problematic.
He said: "It doesn't shy away from difficult truths about the floods.
"The play shows the distress that Michael's death caused to his family and also to people such as the emergency services who did their best."
Despite the play's serious content, Mr Creed insisted there was still a "huge amount of humour" in the overall production.
He said: "People told us stories which were very funny. Hard times promote amazing resilience and neighbourliness and we have heard some remarkable stories.
"It was a traumatic event for a lot of people and many get very anxious now when it rains and are literally out there checking the drains."
Every Time It Rains runs until July 4, 2009. Tickets cost from £9 to £18. For more information, call the box office on (01482) 323638.