(4.5 / 5)

Christmas 2018, Banksy gives a unique present to the town of Port Talbot; Seasons Greetings, an artwork painted onto the garage belonging to local, Ian Lewis. The image, poignant in its positioning, location and ability to stir up the emotions of the inhabitants of the town, literally takes centre stage in this new production from Theatr3. In the weeks following the gifting of the artwork, Theatr3 spoke to the people of the town about their thoughts and feelings on the piece and the wider implications of it being in the industrial landscape of Port Talbot.

Writer and Director, Paul Jenkins and writer, Tracy Harris, have taken over 150 hours of audio and created a piece which is truly reflective of the voices of the people of Port Talbot, because it is literally their voices and their words which have been fully integrated into the piece. The play feels like a conversation with the people of Port Talbot; the audience are truly involved in the piece because of the brilliance of the delivery and the truthfulness of the lines. I have not seen a play before which captures the Welsh voice so well; the naturalism of the speech, including the pauses, the ‘umms,’ lines punctuated by the inhalation of a cigarette with no concern to the listener, it’s all so true and reflective of the community it is representing, without being condescending or belittling.

Design, sound and video blend seamlessly here to create an audio and visual landscape of the steel town (Design by Cai Dyfan, Video by Andy Pike and Ethan Lloyd of Apel Studios, sound by Georgina Nobbs and additional composition by Dai Griffiths). I loved the ever present ‘towers’ complete with lights, changing colours and twinkling throughout, creating the industrial beauty of Port Talbot. The main visual of the ‘garage’ in the centre is used to great effect, first bearing the image of the ‘Port Talbot Banksy,’ but changing throughout to the local greasy spoon, the Marie Curie charity shop and even at one point bearing the mantra, ‘Cofiwch Dryweyn.’ Simple but effective was the ‘removal’ of the artpiece, the image slowly rising upwards as smoke billowed, sounds echoed around the theatre and Time To Say Goodbye resonated, as the residents stood silently by and watched their Banksy being taken away. 

With inspiration drawn from Brecht, the actors change roles in the blink of an eye. Two rails of costumes and props line stage right and stage left, and they leave stage as one character only to, almost immediately, appear as another. The physicality of every performer is brilliant, never leaving you in any doubt as to the transition to another role. Clearly hours of work have been put in here to faithfully recreate the voices of the people of Port Talbot, it is eerily accurate, even stammers and incorrectly chosen words are copied and presented here, with my personal favourite being ‘muriel’ instead of ‘mural. The cast are, without exception, phenomenal. Matthew Bulgo, Holly Carpenter, Ioan Hefin, Simon Nehan, Jalisa Phoenix-Roberts and Kerry Joy Stewart multi role throughout the play; ever changing accents, voices, physicality, social backgrounds and life experiences.

There is much comedy to the piece, moments where the audience are rolling with laughter, rapidly juxtaposed with being brought close to tears. Port Talbot Gotta Banksy pulls you through a whirlwind of emotions as ever changing and flighty as the emotions of the town itself. The human experience of the show is starkly set against the experiences and shared history of the whole town. Act One deals with the artwork, yes, but Act Two dives deeper into the wider issues enveloping Port Talbot; the precarious balance of wanting the furnaces to stay for employment contradicted by the lived experiences of the residents; the soot lining their windowsills, the clothes on the line turning orange, the 33 year old dying of asthma and COPD. As an audience member, you feel torn between the steel worker, who’s worked at the furnaces for his whole life, who cries ‘in front of his butties’ and the council worker who urges us that we should be looking to the future. The uncertainty for the future, the fear of change, a town scared that it’s being left unnoticed and uncared for, is palpable, it grips you and doesn’t let go.

With the recent support from the Government for Scunthorpe Steel, the timing of this production could not be better. The loss of so many jobs in Port Talbot whilst Labour steps in to help with potential nationalisation across the border must truly be a bitter pill to swallow for the residents of the Welsh town. The play that starts with an artwork but that goes so much further is one that you really need to see if you possibly can. It gives all sides and perspectives room to breathe and opens the debate further; allows an audience to see perspectives they may never have considered previously. Finally, the voices of the people recorded are truly heard; the actors remove their earpieces and the words they’ve replicated in the performance are spoken by the residents; the original recordings echo around the space and the voices of Port Talbot are given the ‘last word’ of the play.  

In the words of Derek Davies, whose poem features in the final scenes of the piece.   

‘Now the town has suffered dearly,

In that town that’s made from steel;

But you cannot take away their lives,

 it’s how the people feel.’

(4 / 5)

‘Little Women’ is loved across the world in its various iterations; from its original publication in 1868, it has been widely adored, with critical and commercial success. Based loosely on author Louisa May Alcott’s own life, we follow the lives of four sisters; young women forging their path from childhood to adulthood. Loud and rambunctious Jo, ladylike Meg, quiet yet ‘good’ Beth and the youngest, Amy, used to getting her own way. The play begins just after their Pa has left to serve as a Chaplain for the Union in the American Civil War, and each girl is dealing with it in her own unique way.

This version has been adapted by Anne-Marie Casey, screenwriter initially who has now turned her attention to stage adaptations, having also adapted Wuthering Heights for stage in 2014. I loved the pace and the humour of this script; it loses none of the original whilst breathing life into the plot and giving these characters a chance to come alive on stage. It is genuinely witty and funny and full of heart, a fact we can, obviously, primarily credit to the original novel, but also shines here on stage which is a credit to Casey. The piece has direction and movement direction from Loveday Ingram and Mike Ashcroft respectively, and I loved the innovative use of the space. The set changes very slightly throughout, but with the direction we always feel like we are in a new space, whether that’s skating across an ice-covered pond, dancing on a balcony at a ball or stealing that first kiss in the snow.

Lighting and design, by Ruari Murchison and Mike Robertson, complements the actors well. I loved the world of ‘Little Women.’ The set is a living room amongst the trees, so to speak, but we are never in any doubt as to where we are. The trees and stool double as the window that Laurie is constantly clambering through, the flats at the back of the stage mean we can see each girl in tableau as time passes and they go from girl to woman. Sometimes simplicity is best, and I loved the idea of nature permeating the house in which the girls lived. Jo’s writing desk being ever present is also a nice touch as if, it’s the desk itself, that is charting the lives of these women. Lighting is also simple but effective; especially stark during Amy’s fall through the ice. I loved the addition of contemporary hymns and Christmas songs to add colour to the piece and to the lives of Marmee and her girls. Matthew Bugg, Composer and Sound Designer, adds his own touch to the piece; the arrangements are beautiful and sang so well by the ensemble.

This is a very well-cast company. Led by Grace Molony as Jo, who perfectly balances Jo’s tomboyish tendencies with her uncompromising love for her family, her passion for life, writing and independence, and her softer, more loving side towards the end of the show. She is excellent, a perfect Jo and she achieves plenty of laughter in our matinee audience. Jade Kennedy as Meg is wonderful; the will she, won’t she romance she shares with Jack Ashton as John Brooke is very endearing. There is, again, a lovely balance of humour but also the more serious, mothering side of Meg. They are joined by Catherine Chalk as Beth; her nervous energy around strangers is truly palpable throughout act one, and her tragic ending is expertly handled by Chalk. The final ‘little woman’ is indeed the littlest; Imogen Elliot as Amy brings a childlike innocence and petulance in act one, which blossoms very effectively into a society woman in act two.

They are accompanied by Belinda Lang who is excellent as Aunt March. Her accent is perfect, and her deadpan lines are delivered with expertise. She is delightfully blunt and rude, a fantastic addition to the cast. Ellie Pawsey understudied as Marmee in this performance and her motherly light really shone in the role. Her strength in holding together her family was really evident yet she was able to balance this with the emotion of hearing about her injured husband and the pain of losing a daughter. Outnumbered, but no less talented are the men of the piece. Cillian Lenaghan as Laurie bounds across the stage, the perfect opposite to Meg, seemingly more grown up and mature than them all in act one and then discovering his petulance in act two. Cillian counterbalances Monoly’s Jo with ease and they have a lovely chemistry. Finally, Jack Ashton who spends act one as Meg’s love interest, John Brooke and act two as Jo’s love interest, Frederick Bhaer. Ashton delivers these two distinct characters with ease. It is easy to put aside our dramatic disbelief and invest in him as both characters. I really enjoyed his Frederick especially, with a great accent and a softness and hesitation to his admission of feelings for Jo. This is a faithful adaptation, which keeps close to the original but also has its own voice and identity. Its true success is in its accessibility; I have never read the book (but will do so now!) and was sat alongside two sisters who have seen every iteration on film and were read the novel every night by their mother as children. I love how we came in with very different expectations and knowledges of the story but all left having absolutely loved this version. The show is lovely; touching, poignant at times, full of heart and humour; perfectly chronicling the lives of these little girls into ‘Little Women

Photo credit: Patricio Cassinoni

(4 / 5)

Samuel Beckett might just be my favourite playwright. Why? It’s his abstractions, the eerie usage of prose for a higher truth. His plays in French and German then translated into English, capturing profound depths that wouldn’t be seen if it was just in English first.

First seen in 1958 with actor Patrick Magee, Krapp’s Last Tape have seen much success and is often regarded as one of Beckett’s finer works. This isn’t my personal favourite, though thanks to a tight production it holds up as enlightening. The play is even going with Gary Oldman in York , so there are plenty of chances to see this odd tale.

Per annum, Krapp on his birthday records another tape. A post-mortem of the year he’s had. He listens to recordings from decades past and loses himself in then, only to dismiss them as ancient histories. Aged 69, he leaves his last tape, after eating a few bananas, popping out to the kitchen in a hurried scuttle to what sounds like the pouring of wine (quite possibly urination) a few times and constantly critiques the man he was, against the man he is now.

Stephen Rea is a true Beckett actor. He had the foresight to pre-recorded the relevant material a decade ago, just in case he ever did play Krapp. Luck would be on his side thanks to laser focused director Vicky Featherstone. Set designer Jamie Vartan has the most simplistic plan, yet all you really need is a sliding door, chair, table with extended draw and that’s your lot. Katie Davenport got the tattyness of old age and white boots that might just not match the outfit. Lighting by Paul Keogan is scary and alluring in all ways. Kevin Gleeson’s, sound design keeps the suggestion of a drone in utter pianissimo throughout, near Lynchian. Stephen Wright as audio director assisted Rea with the old recordings and did a valiant job. You can tell Rea is younger, though not by a huge amount. Imagine the 30 years old tapes…

There is much to unpack about archivism, longing, resentment, ageing, loneliness, sex and lust in this mere 55 minutes. Other artists have taken the tapes ideas and ran with it, musicians especially with opera and looping material are really nice ideas. It has made me wonder about how do we preserve items in needs of tender love and care, with the passage of time decaying most materials. Through it all…was this the purpose of recording something?

Its runs till 3rd May 2025