(5 / 5)

Tim Price returns to tackle another important moment in Welsh and National history in ‘Odyssey ’84.’ Drawing on key inspiration from Homer’s ‘Odyssey,’ we follow the parallel stories of John and Penny O’Donnell as they wander, return home, and come to terms with that return. Although Odysseus is at the whim of the Gods, John and Penny face powerful forces, completely outside of their control but much closer to home.

The piece reimagines encounters with the Cyclops, lotus eaters and the pivotal journey to the underworld. Of course, the journey is central with John and his butties, Billy and Dai journeying throughout the UK and then the world trying to fundraise for the Miner’s Strike back home. Leaving behind their families and their own journeys, we follow the three unlikely heroes through their highs and lows; bringing us to tears both of laughter and sadness. Back home, we follow Penny and her own more homely, though no less epic, journey as she comes to terms with John being absent, finding her place in the community and helping out those in need and her own loss and finding a new identity without her husband.

Penning a follow up to the huge critical success that was ‘Nye,’ could have been no easy feat for Tim Price. ‘Odyssey ‘84’ is just as epic as it’s Greek counterpart. The pure understanding of how these characters speak; their vernacular; the interactions between them is just outstanding. The humour and unexpected twists and turns of the script pack a punch in every moment. The delivery of the language is poetic, the lines twist, merge, roll over one another, in the language of the Valleys; the language that I grew up with as the story is set in the villages and areas I’ve lived in my whole life. Tim Price captures the essence of these Valleys with musicality; the short, sharp interactions between characters counterbalanced perfectly with the longer, heartfelt monologues, such as the one John delivers direct to the audience whilst fundraising in Inverness. I cannot praise him highly enough. I hear his prose spoken on stage and I hear home.

Set is deceptively simple but mimics the houses ‘identical to every other one in the street. Built with cold grey stone.’ Small, wheeled pieces come on and off stage creating the terraced house living room, the workingmen’s hall, the London club and more. The backdrop moves forward, claustrophobia setting in for the players and the audience, the stage opens and becomes a money drop off point, an empty, yawning grave. The space is used to its utmost and the actors move about it with ease and lyricism.

Joe Murphy and Laura Meaton work in harmony as Director and Movement Director respectively. Joe directs with a lightness of touch that breathes life into the words on the page. He ensures the action goes hand in hand with the quieter moments, a perfect balance of the chaos of the Strike but also the quieter, ‘behind closed doors’ trauma of it too. Laura Meaton moves the performers across the stage with poise and musicality. The ensemble moves and twists around each other; I recently saw her work in ‘Iphigenia Yn Sblot’ and this is echoed here, albeit with more performers for her to move around the stage emphasising and adding even more layers to the already multi-faceted story.

The cast are exceptional, whether playing multiple parts or one. Matthew Bulgo is chameleon-like, playing various roles but wonderful in all, especially the leader of the movement, Ceri Watts. Sara Gregory as Penny captures her perfectly, overcoming the awful things that befall her to come out stronger and more resilient on the other side. Her interactions with Rhodri Meilir, her onstage husband John, are hilarious, a true representation of a recently married, Welsh Valleys couple. Dean Rehman as Dai and Sion Pritchard as Billy are a wonderful double act, excelling in both comedy but also the heartfelt moments they share together. Sion Pritchard has this uncanny ability to make the audience cry with laughter, sometimes only uttering a single curse word to bring us to tears. Lisa Zahra is yet another chameleon, her ability to change from Penny’s friend, Shaz to her FIVE other roles is mesmerising. Finally, Rhodri Meilir as the Welsh Odysseus; what an incredible performance! Having seen him recently in ‘Nye,’ I had high expectations, but he completely overwhelmed them all. My favourite scene was the ‘journey to the underworld’ but also his speech in Inverness, which stirred my blood, made me reminisce, brought tears to my eyes but ultimately made me proud to be descended from the life-blood of these Valleys; coal.

I had enormous expectations going into this show. From the moment we stepped into the foyer with the NUM banners strung across the ceilings and the posters plastered onto the pillars, to the moment the play began to John’s final journey home to Penny, this blew all those expectations completely out of the water. I urge you to go and see this production, especially if you have links to the area or to the Strike of ’84. Hearing the actors speak the names of pit I grew up alongside, the name of my home village and the colliery my grandfather worked in made me feel seen in a way that not much theatre has made me feel before. A play about one of the most turbulent periods in recent history, but also one of the most turbulent periods of time in OUR history.

‘Mining isn’t an industry, it’s not even our life-blood, it’s the reason we exist…’