(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…’

Lizzie Caitlin Bennett, Siwan Morris and Bethan McLean in A Visit at YMa, Pontypridd. Photo: Kirsten McTernan

(4 / 5)

Papertrail’s tale of crime, justice and childcare has been in R&D since 2021, reflecting exactly how important it has been to the company to portray this important story with empathy, realism and impact. Sian Owen’s text is based on real life stories of women and young people; the tale of what happens when a mother is imprisoned, what happens to the child left behind and the life ‘outside’ for those who are left picking up the pieces. Knowing that the text was, in some cases, verbatim for what the team had been told, really made every single line hit home that little bit harder.

This is my first visit to the YMa in Pontypridd and the space is utilised to great effect by Designer Lucy Hall. The stage is filled with chairs that are on the same level as each of the levels of the raked seating opposite. The grey chairs are interspersed with numbered, red chairs; the places where the inmates sit whilst their families visit them. The set is confronting, there is nowhere for the characters to hide as they deliver their monologues; there, on display for every audience member to see, especially given the levels are equal to our seating levels. The movement around the set is purposely awkward and difficult, with Carys and Angharad having to look over their shoulders to address Ffi or move closer towards her, around numerous chairs which are stagnant and imposing. This is purposely done to show us the difficulties of breaching topics, the distance between the sisters and the daughter, echoed by the distance between them on the maps projected behind them.

Sound is a fantastic addition, ably designed by Josh Bowles. The music is an aide to the action rather than distracting or detracting. When the sisters argue, there is a tapping noise which rises in volume and frequency until its almost unbearable. At first, I wondered where the noise was coming from, it’s so subtle and barely there, but, as the argument increased in its fury, so did the tapping. It makes you uncomfortable, it makes you feel tense, it makes you feel exactly like Angharad must feel as the two most important women in her life argue around her.

The accessibility of the piece is exceptional, some of the best, most integrated work I’ve seen. The BSL interpreters are performers in their own right; prison officers who perform alongside the actors. A concept by Director, Bridget Keehan, the interpreters Claire Anderson and Cathryn McShane move alongside their respective characters, standing as they stand, moving as they move and not just interpreting, but performing the piece alongside their counterparts. It’s accessibility at its very best, it becomes seamlessly part of the action, meaning that deaf and hard of hearing audience members do not have to split their attention between the action and interpreter who would usually be stood to the side of the stage. Claire and Cathryn are excellent; the actors talk over one another in arguments, and they can do that too, performing in BSL alongside their respective characters.

 Siwan Morris excels as Ffi; the tears and anguish are evident as she lives these real-life accounts of parents who have become a part of the system, ripped from their families and left in turmoil, their lives suspended on the outside. Siwan delivers this turbulent character with ease, turning from pleading to anger, from tears to shouting. Bethan Mclean and Lizzie Caitlin Bennett are excellent, presenting a united front in their desires initially and then fracturing as the story reaches its climax. Bethan perfectly captures the fear that Carys feels that she is not enough and cannot do enough for her niece Angharad, longing for her escape into the skies and across the oceans as Cabin Crew for EasyJet. Lizzie is heart-breaking as Angharad, pleading with these matriarchs in her life to break the inevitable ‘Newton’s Cradle’ of their lives. As a trio of performers, they clearly feed off one another’s energy and are perfectly cast as their respective roles.

‘A Visit’ has clearly been a labour of love and care for all involved, but particularly Sian, the Writer, and Bridget, the Director. Their work alongside Clean Break and the Prison services means that the piece is poignant without being condescending, truthful and respectful of those lived experiences without detracting. It’s a play made up of so many working parts that really come together to create a hard hitting, relevant piece for our time, excellently delivered by a talented cast and production team.

Photo credit: Jane Hobson

(3 / 5)

Off the beaten track for a more curious endeavour in London. A queer reimagining of Shakespeare with Antony and Cleopatra. Conceived and directed by Robert Chevara, this was a simple affair made better with a intimate venue.

We see a lot of the typical things asscotaed with gay men…clubs, dancing, leather, cross dressing, poppers almost other delights. I’d say this worked to an extent  wondering if this play has ever had this tenet before. It is condensed into a 70 minutes so there is little time to truly develop things organically. Like the blasting club beats, you have to get lost in the heat and sweat of it all. Antony is William McGeough  perhaps the strongest in the show. Lots of rage and sultry allure on this fallen Roman. Cleo is Jonny Woo, who steals the show with wild dress up, camp personas and a swooping mood swings.

Stripped back with the two leads and thier assistants: support was that of Charmian and Dolabella. Alexis Gregory and Jonathan Blake in these roles work well, moment of blissful camp elevate the Bard’s word for lines that might not necessarily funny. Both had seriousness too when needed, the weight of the lovers romance begets tragedy for all involved. Moments of karaoke helped soften the mood. Its usage did not overbear, though any more would have done so.

Some of props and costumes use is clever. Cleopatra’s wonderous death crown and jewels have to be seen to be believed. No asp in site for her tragic end, instead a more piffy shot of smack it would seem? Stroves lights upon the wall and ceiling are effective, not over used in moments of attack nor movement. There is a fair bit of back and for between the audience, I found myself moving over front and centre that I was.

This should find an audience, its queerness shot through and it had its moments.

It runs at The Divine till 26 Sept 2024.