(4.5 / 5)

‘Don’t. Breathe. A. Word,’ is the advice given to all those who may enter the Western Studio at the Wales Millennium Centre to watch ‘Pontypool;’ a brand new stage adaptation by Hefin Robinson, directed by Dan Phillips and based on the cult horror story by Tony Burgess.

The original novel took place in Pontypool but in Ontario, Canada, whereas this production definitely is a lot more local!

Washed up radio DJ, Grant Mazzy is trying to ‘take no prisoners’ and whip up the local community into action through his radio slot. There’s only one problem; he’s used to the listeners of Islington and now he’s ended up in a basement in Pontypool delivering his ‘Mazzy’s musings’ on Beacon Radio. Producer Rhiannon has certainly got her hands full with him and Megan, the assistant, is just trying to keep the show on track. Mazzy wants to deliver hard hitting radio, which isn’t easy when you must interview the cast of the local, gender blind production of Lawrence of Arabia…

Production Images Credit Kirsten McTernan

The action, all delivered in the basement radio station, really amps up as they start to receive news of a local ‘riot’ at the doctor’s surgery, which turns out to be a lot more than it first seems. Not being familiar with the cult horror novel means that every twist and turn of this production was a complete surprise to me but even those familiar with the story will be met with a fresh, local but universal story that is brought bang up to the 21st century with Rhiannon demanding Mazzy STOP using the word ‘woke’ and references to the last time we got locked down. The writing is fantastic, and I highly commend Hefin’s adaptation; the humour is fast paced and relentless, the language is witty and smart and the relationships between the characters are totally believable. Even when the action starts to ramp up, the direction by Dan Phillips has clearly been worked to toe the line between drama and comedy, its expertly walked and even in the horrific moments, the comedy still flows!

The casting is spot on; Carwyn Jones is the voice of Ken Loney, ‘the eye in the sky’ reporting on the weather in Pontypool from his ‘sun helicopter…’ Although we never see him, the voiceover is excellent, the comedy ably aided by the clever sound effects. His later phone calls to the station are perfectly counterbalanced to the earlier humour, with voice alone sending shivers down the spines of the audience. Ioan Hefin is ‘dodgy’ Dr Harry Phillips, again balancing comic chops with great acting ability in the more serious moments. He is the lynchpin to the play, providing us with in turns hilarious and in turns dramatic moments of explanation.

Rhiannon Briar is brought to life by Victoria John; she captures the frustration of the producer stuck with the radio ‘star’ with big ambitions of ‘shaking things up.’ The clashes with Mazzy are delivered with panache and Victoria gives us brilliant angry chemistry with Mazzy. They are the quintessential odd couple of the play. Without giving too much away, Mail O’Donnell’s portrayal of Megan Davies, the radio assistant, is a role of two parts! Her physicality is exceptional, and she ably delivers the vision of Movement and Intimacy Director, Lucy Glassbrook. Her realisation of the character and her twists and turns is delivered expertly right up to its explosive conclusion…

Finally, the radio DJ himself, the voice of Pontypool, Grant Mazzy is brought to life by Lloyd Hutchinson. Lloyd owns the stage and his radio booth, prowling across the stage with his agenda ready and waiting to be delivered to the willing (or unwilling) listeners of Beacon Radio. He sends the audience into fits of laughter with facial expressions and movements alone; he also sends a shiver down our spines with those expressions and silences too. I was so impressed by his ability to have me giggling one moment and with my heart in the mouth the next.

A special mention must go to the make up and special effects, which totally blew me away. The make up is brilliant; huge congratulations to the Marcus Whitney and assistant, Kristie Stanway. I honestly had no idea how the team would bring this horror classic to life onstage, but I was in awe. I can’t say too much, but the make up and effects are visceral and drew gasps (and sounds of disgust!) from the captivated audience.

A huge congratulations to all involved with this expert adaptation; what a phenomenal version, with a distinct national flavour but universal appeal. Don’t miss this and do not let Pontypool fall silent. ‘Don’t. Breathe. A. Word…’ or should I say… ‘Dim. Gair. Wrth Neb…’

You can find out more and book tickets here

Mumfighter is a new play written by Tracy Harris, based on her own personal experiences of having a child with a disability and fighting to get them the help they need. The emotional one-woman show follows the life of Amber, from her life before her child was born to trying to process having a child with Cerebral Palsy, to fighting systems, like the NHS, to get her daughter the medical therapies and assistance she needs. The play was able to connect with its audience and is raising awareness of the struggles of living with a disability and supporting someone with a disability.

Katie Payne’s performance as Amber was breath-taking both emotionally and physically. The way she confidently moved around the arena staging, engaging with the audience and the set was remarkable and, the symbolic fight sequences were effortlessly done. Despite the difficulty and the pressure of performing solo, Katie Payne appeared undaunted, allowing her to deliver the emotionally striking performance, perfectly portraying a mother who feels lost and unable to help her daughter.

The play resonates with many people, including myself, and is showcasing Welsh talent from Katie Payne and Tracy Harris. In interviews Tracy Harris said that she thinks there are problems in the support system for people and children with disabilities and that people who are not part of that world are still unaware of the problems. The play has definitely succeeded at raising awareness of the issues that carers can face every day and the fight that is still ongoing for support. I think the play will be remembered for the exceptional representation of disabilities, from an entirely unique perspective that I haven’t seen explored before.

A boxing ring, boxing gloves and a bottle of wine.

Mum Fighter by Tracy Harris is a raw, moving piece of theatre that explores the complexities and resilience of motherhood. As I sat in the theatre, captivated by Katie Payne’s performance, I saw the look on the audience’s faces. Some with jaws slack, others sat on the edge of their seats entirely absorbed in the world Tracy has created – that is so similar to her own.

The show follows a mother, Amber, fighting in a boxing ring to win the support that her daughter, Bea, needs to fight cerebral palsy. The boxing ring at the centre of the room and the symbolic act of using the boxing gloves to represent Bea highlights the dominant themes of this play, that Amber and her daughter are fighters.

Amber goes through a rollercoaster of emotions, is knocked down, refused, broken up with, torn apart and put back together again but not at any point does she give up on fighting for her daughter. She is challenging the system and will not settle for the scraps that
they are giving her.

As the show reached its end, the entire theatre stood to applaud. All of us in awe at the performance we just watched, I even had a tear in my eye. Mum Fighter portrays the strength found in vulnerability, challenges the system

An hour-long monologue is no easy task, but Gareth J Bale smashed his performance once again in the lead up to the 200th performance of ‘Grav’ the commemorative re-telling of Raymond Gravells life, the Welsh rugby icon turned actor who embodied all that it meant to be Welsh. Set in a decrepit rugby locker-room, Bale reenacts some of Grav’s most memorable moments; from beating the All Blacks in small-town Llanelli, to acting alongside some of tv’s finest.  

The play begins by introducing Grav’s notoriety, establishing the biographical nature of the play, spanning from his tryouts for the under 15’s local rugby team, to his battle with diabetes which resulted in losing his leg. Writer Owen Thomas focuses on the positive moments of Grav’s life, while also not shying away from the tough and intense moments, including his father’s suicide. We, the audience, experience a full range of emotions, heightened by the skilled directing and lighting changes, along with the tone and atmosphere created.  

Despite being a monologue, Thomas has Grav tell his story as if he were talking to his mother about it, giving a natural and comforting feel to his story, allowing us to empathize with the character and his journey. The play ends with Grav preparing for a rugby match, getting into his kit and leaving through the same door he arrived.

(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…’