Tag Archives: Sherman Theatre

REVIEW: ‘SNOUT’ SHERMAN THEATRE BY GEMMA TREHARNE-FOOSE

November 13, 2016 Gemma Treharne Foose Leave a comment

(4 / 5)

This was my second time to attend a ‘Play, Pie and a Pint’ at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff and once again it did not disappoint. This low-cost evening is a great option for those looking for bite-size and accessible nights at the theatre. Perhaps in anticipation of the subject material in the play, there was a vegetarian pie option. Thankfully, no pork pies were on the menu!

Snout is the latest new product from Sherman Theatre and Oran Mor’s partnership and is a new script from the writer Kelly Jones: winner of the BBC Wales Drama Award in 2014.

Those with a penchant for pork – beware! Snout is a play that does not beat around the bush when it comes to broaching the subject of animal welfare. The central three characters are pigs – Coco, Lacey and Viv , skilfully represented by Claire Cage, Michele Gallagher and Sally Reid.

We are led through their backstories from within a cramped, dirty lorry and as the tension and claustrophobia sets in, it slowly becomes clear that Viv is keeping a secret that even she doesn’t want to face. Far from a day out ‘at the fete’ there is a far worse fate awaiting them at the other end of the journey. As the panic and the fear becomes palpable – there is scrapping and squealing via a tense soundtrack courtesy of Andy Cowan, squabbling and bickering between Coco and Lacey and desperate praying and bargaining from Viv. There is something horrible brewing for these three little pigs.

Director Kenny Miller could so easily have played up the ‘pig’ image: via masks, curly tails or cutesy ears. But the three characters clothes and regular appearance only serve to humanise them and make the audience acknowledge what is about to happen to them.

‘How would they feel if it was them – their children?’ one of the characters says. We realise how pigs and pork are so firmly embedded our popular culture, our vernacular and our food choices: greedy pig, pig ugly, pig ignorant, bringing home the bacon, looking ‘porky’.

There are some really grim passages where Viv describes how her sister Annie was taken away, how the meat is butchered, prepared, consumed and sometimes even sexualised and fetishised. As an audience member, I felt almost complicit in the suffering of Viv, Coco and Lacey and the theatre space and sheer proximity to the cramped box feels claustrophobic for you too.

There are tender moments played out following Lacey’s electric shock after a panicked escape attempt. I could not take my eyes off Sally Reid (who plays Coco), whose spiky and awkward demeanour is softened as we progress in the play.

The play shines a light on the sheer hypocrisy and selfishness of meat consumption and meat for fashion purposes and for me certainly, threw up a few questions. Why do I care so much about whether my chicken is free range, but not my pork? Why do I crinkle my nose at the thought of eating veal, but not suckling pig? Why is tripe revolting to me but not belly pork? I know that pigs are intelligent animals, so why have I never thought about whether they know what’s awaiting them at the end of their trips to the slaughterhouse. Do I really care about animals if I have this knowledge and do not act upon it?

I had my reservations about whether or not the play would be preachy or overtly anti-meat eating, but it was to character-led for that. What Kelly Jones’ script does manage to do well is to make you question yourself, to step outside your frame of reference and pre-conceived thoughts. I can’t tell you if Coco, Lacey and Viv made it….but I can tell you that my enthusiasm for ‘meat free’ Mondays has tripled since seeing the play. And I will lay off the bacon for a while, I think…

Type of show: Theatre
Title: Snout (A play, Pie and a Pint)
Venue: The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Dates: 8-12 Nov
Author: Kelly Jones
Director: Kenny Miller

Ross Kirkland / Chris Reilly: Lighting Designer
Andy Cowan: Sound Designer
Jonathan Scott: Designer
Gemma Patchett: Assistant Designer
Claire Cage: Coco
Michele Gallagher: Lacey
Sally Reid: Viv

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Art

An Interview with Artist Emily Jones

November 5, 2016 Guy O'Donnell Leave a comment

Illustration for The Emperor’s New Clothes

Sherman Theatre and Theatr Iolo

All artwork copyright Emily Jones

Our project coordinator recently spoke to Cardiff based artist Emily Jones about her career to date and plans for the future.

Hi Emily great to meet you, can you give our readers some background information on yourself please?

Hello, I grew up in Tyneside but I’ve lived in Cardiff for ten years now. I studied illustration for children’s books at art college and that’s the branch of illustration I’m really passionate about. Although, I do enjoy drawing cartoons of Donald Trump and other political figures that I find ludicrous! Being an illustrator isn’t my full time job as I prefer the balance of being able to draw and paint when I want, without the worry or pressure of relying on it for an income.

So what got you interested in Illustration?

I had two lovely teachers in primary school and they encouraged me to draw. They made me realise that you could draw pictures for a living. I loved picture books in particular and I had my favourite illustrators who I aspired to be like. I think I’ve always been fascinated with images and how someone has created them.

How has your career as an illustrator developed?

A few years ago, I began renting out an art studio so I had the space to work in a more professional manner rather than just working at home in front of the TV. This really changed things and along with posting my work on social media, I have slowly but surely become busier and better.

Your personalised pet portraits are particularly popular with your work appearing in 1000 Dog Portraits by Rockport Publishers? Can you tell our readers how you got involved in pet portraits? Do you have a favourite animal to illustrate?

I painted my partner’s dog Scooby and it all started from there. I showed the painting to a few people and before long I was being asked to paint their cat or dog. I think painting pets is a great way for any artist to get commissioned as it’s artwork that is really accessible for people to buy. I love painting all sorts of animal but the more animated the creature is, the more fun I find it to be.

Over the last two years you have been commissioned by The Sherman Theatre to produce images for the seasonal productions The Princess and The Pea and this year The Emperor’s New Clothes. Can you tell us how you approach illustrating such popular classics for the stage?

Well I begin by doing a lot of research on how other artists have illustrated the stories. I then do my best to create an image which is completely original as well as instantly recognisable. The images have to grab attention of both children and adults and hopefully it will make people want to see the show. I’ve loved illustrating these particular stories as they’ve both been so playful and silly.

Do you have any illustrators or artists that inspire you?

There are tons! Quentin Blake has always been there as a favourite, as has Edward Gorey. They are experts at depicting characters with seemingly simple pen lines. Shaun Tan’s work is incredible and I wish I had a fraction of his talent! I love Júlia Sardà, David Roberts, Isabelle Arsenault, David Litchfield, Michael Sowa, Mateo Dineen, Rebecca Dautremer. They are a just a few! I study their work and try to figure out how they do what they do. They make me feel totally inferior but at the same time, inspire me and enthuse me to create my next best piece; which is definitely a good thing.

If any of our readers are aspiring illustrators what advice could you offer them?

Draw as often as possible. It seems obvious but you have to practice. Drawing from life is a brilliant way to improve your skills and develop your style. Having a recognisable style is important and it’s something I haven’t mastered yet. But the more work I do, the more I learn and develop. I just wish there was more time in the day to draw!

We believe you are currently working on your first children’s picture book, sounds exciting, can you tell us more?

I’ve almost finished the artwork for a lovely writer, Victoria Richards. She commissioned me an embarrassingly long time ago but the end is now in sight. We don’t have a publisher yet but we’re hopeful of finding one. It’s a great, magical story and the artwork is some of my best. We’ll definitely get it out in the public domain somehow.

What do you have planned for the future?

I’ll continue taking on commissions as and when I get them and I’m going to start illustrating my own stories to see where that takes me. Other than that, just continue to draw and paint.

Thanks for your time Emily

You can see more of Emily’s work here; https://www.facebook.com/emilybobmandraws

Theatre

Interview with Assistant Director of The Weir, Chelsey Gillard.

October 16, 2016 Lauren Ellis - Stretch Leave a comment

Chelsey Gillard

Get the Chance Young Critic Lauren Ellis-Stretch recently got the chance to chat to Chelsey Gillard Assistant Director of The Weir currently playing at The Sherman Theatre. They discussed her journey and experiences as a young director, generous tipping of bar staff, and the basis of the show itself.

What is the Weir about, for you?

‘Ahh -this is such a tough question. The Weir is such a multi-layered play that covers so many huge topics – the supernatural, grief, the depopulation of Rural Ireland, love…. the list goes on. At it’s heart I feel the play is about the ways we connect with each other as human beings and how we chose to relate to the natural world around us. Little acts of kindness play a huge role in the script and I really think it is telling us to do those things for others when we possibly can.

Through what training and experiences have you come to be an assistant director at the Sherman?

‘I applied to be the assistant director and had to attend an interview. Before this I have directed my own work and also been an assistant director for various venues and directors. This is my first time working at The Sherman on a main stage production. I studied English and Drama at university, all through my degree and in the two years since graduating I saw as much theatre as possible and tried to meet as many directors as possible to ask their advice on how to do what they do. Before that I was also a critic – a great way to see shows and think about them in a considered and logical way.

A video of Chelsey Gillard and Rachel Williams presenting at the National Rural Touring Forum on Bridgend Young Critics Project.

How did you prepare yourself for the role of assistant director on this piece?

‘I read the play – many, many, many times. I made lots of notes on the play looking for any parts that were of particular interest to me. The play takes place in a bar so I also made notes about who had what drinks and who paid for each round and other details that would be useful in the rehearsal room. As the play is also set in Ireland I did a lot of research about the kind of area the characters live in and the folklore that is mentioned in the play.’

Do you have an impressive ‘bar’ story?

‘Oh, I’m not sure. As a young freelance director I have to sometimes work other jobs to help pay the bills, so I will sometimes work as a bartender for one off events. When I was working at a really posh wedding the father of the bride decided he liked me – as my name is the same as his favourite football team. So thanks to my name I left that wedding with a crate of the most delicious red wine I’ve ever tried as well as a great tip!’

Is there anything specific you have learnt and will take from your time working on this play?

‘I’ve learnt so much watching Rachel O’Riordan the show’s director and Artistic Director of The Sherman Theatre in the rehearsal room – she is just amazing! It’s been great to see how to usefully bring lots of research into the rehearsal process in a way that is useful to the actors. I’ve also never worked on a stage the size of the Sherman main stage so that has been a really good chance to pick up tips on how to make a show feel really intimate even when it’s in a big space.’

Artistic Director of The Sherman Theatre and director of The Weir Rachel O’Riordan (centre) with the cast of The Weir in rehearsals.

The Weir will be playing at the Sherman until the 22/10/16. It then transfers to the Tobacco Factory in Bristol 25 Oct -05 Nov 2016.

http://www.shermantheatre.co.uk/performance/theatre/the-weir/

ARCHIVE: The Weir

Film & TV

The BAFTA Cymru Nominations Party

September 25, 2016 Guy O'Donnell Leave a comment

All photographs Mission Photographic

I’m so grateful I got an invite,
To attend an evening at the BAFTA Cymru party,
The quality of refreshments had a delicious aroma
The drinks, exhaled a cheerful persona
The nominees as well as the attendees
Were great to speak too, and everyone was a stunner
Dressed to kill, formally dressed to fit the bill
High heels, suits, boots and ties.
The sensation of the champagne, got you mesmerised
The room was filtered with amazing lights
Flashing shots, projected from the HD camera
The photographer, was annoyed by my friend’s eager
To look back on every picture
Connections of different energies, filtered the room.
Networking to get correct links, could have been done, all night long.
Anyone not in a group, could Just tag along
The feeling of togetherness, felt strong
Was great to be in a sensational mode
And be part of the 2016 BAFTA awards.
Tanica King

With this year’s BAFTA Cymru celebration just over a week away, Thursday 22^nd September saw BAFTA Cymru gather nominees, press and other industry guests, to celebrate this year’s nominees and announce a couple of special awards.

Guests at this year’s party included; BAFTA Cymru Nominees Party Guests in attendance included Actress nominees Amanda Mealing, Catherine Ayers and Mali Harries; Actor Mark Lewis Jones; Directors Lee Haven Jones (35 Diwrnod) and Molly Anna Woods (Swansea Sparkle, A Transgender Story); Presenter Will Millard; Sherlock designer Arwel Wyn Jones; Just Jim actor/director/writer Craig Roberts.

Actress Nominees Mali Harries, Amanda Mealing and Catherine Ayers

Hosted by the Sherman Theatre the party was a chance for fellow nominee to mingle informally and catch up on their work (and no doubt a bit of gossip!). The event itself was relaxed and welcoming and felt like a great way to lead up to next week’s more formal event. The Sherman foyer provided a great venue to allow guests to mingle while giving a great backdrop to the formal announcements. Catering by Spiro’s, including some delicious brownie canapes accompanied drinks provided by Tattinger and Beer provided by Tomos a Lilford, meant that guests were treated extremely well. Nominees were also presented with their gift bags after the party which included an array of Welsh-sourced gifts, including Penderyn Whiskey.

Actor nominee Mark Lewis Jones with his Nominees Bag

The party also provided an opportunity to announce the two special awards for this year’s BAFTA Cymru, the Sian Phillips Award, and the Outstanding Contribution award.

The first of the special award announcements was the Sian Phillips Award, sponsored by Ken Picton Salons. This year’s award goes to makeup artist Sian Grigg. The Oscar nominated Make Up artist, who has worked on films such as Titanic and The Aviator, as well as last year’s Oscar winning The Revenant, will be the first make-up artist to receive this award. Previous winners of the Sian Phillips award include director Euros Lyn, writer Russell T Davies and actors Michael Sheen, Rhys Ifans and Ruth Jones.

This year’s Special award for Outstanding contribution to film and television (Sponsored by Sony) was announced-in a speech featuring some of his best lines- as going to Terry Jones. The writer, actor and director, of course famed for his part in Monty Python. Born in Colwyn Bay, he went on after worldwide success with Python, to write and direct for film and television, including ‘Ripping Yarns’ with fellow Python Michael Palin, and numerous children’s programmes. Later in his career Jones also followed his passion for history, and wrote and directed many documentaries, many focusing on Medieval History, one of his many passions. Affectionately regarded by fans and colleagues alike, it was a bittersweet announcement as on Friday it was also revealed that Jones has been diagnosed with a form of dementia that affects his ability to communicate. However, as a representative for Jones commented; “Terry is proud and honoured to be recognised in this way and is looking forward to the celebrations.”

To round off the special nominations, John Rhys-Davies, who couldn’t be in attendance due to filming commitments, had a special video message to nominees which elicited applause from the audience. You can listen to it here (via BAFTA Cymru’s twitter)

https://twitter.com/BAFTACymru/status/779345305644965888

The BAFTA Cymru 2016 awards will be the 25^th Anniversary of the awards, and speaking to Rebecca Hardy (Awards Manager for BAFTA Cymru) at the party, it’s set to be a spectacular and fun event. Members of the public can also join in the celebration of Welsh Film and Television talent, with tickets available from the St David’s Hall Website (http://www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/whats-on/british-academy-cymru-awards-2016/). For those who can’t attend, members of the Get the Chance team will be in attendance again, and reporting from the Red Carpet on social media, and here on the website for a full report after the event.

Dr Emily Garside

It is a marvellous thing to walk along a red carpet into the Sherman Theatre foyer of an autumn evening.

A darkly turned out group of hopefuls raising glasses of champagne and beer, scoffing canapés and chatting loudly. Little groups buzzing amongst themselves waiting for something to happen. I find the beer stand and learn about the joys of owning a micro brewery with Tomos a Lilford with a half of Gaucho in my hand.

Now, at this point I realise that I do not know anyone here. I am relying on introductions and on commentary from the comperes on the stand.

Terry Jones gets a mention, as does Sian Grigg. Very well-deserved wrth gars. On reflection I would have like to have known more about the other nominees. I have a lovely time. I meet other critics and share stories. I enjoy delicious snacks professionally served and the beer is very good. I am assured that the Taittinger is good too.

BAFTA Cymru Awards 2nd October, 2016

St. David’s Hall
Cardiff

http://www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/whats-on/british-academy-cymru-awards-2016/

Helen Joy

Theatre

Review NT Connections Sherman Cymru by Lois Arcari

April 28, 2016 Lois Arcari Leave a comment

NT Connections is an annual festival which develops strong links with young talent, raising the profile and awareness of youth theatre companies and their members. The three day festival, which took place at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff (only one of which I was privileged enough to attend) was packed full of short productions such as Simon Armitage’s Eclipse, presented by the Everyman Youth Theatre and Lucinda Coxon’s What are They Like, performed by West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company.

Although I could only catch two of the nine productions featured in the festival; the diversity of plays and the thorough rehearsal of their excellent young casts was evident in both.

During the day there was also opportunities to participate in an extensive range of workshops. These workshops really made the atmosphere of a creative buzz and talent checking even further heightened. Some generally constructive such as an insight into review writing workshop with critic Jafar Iqbal of the Western Mail, others shedding light into current issues in the arts such as inclusivity. A particular highlight for attendants was the one off workshop from playwright Matthew Bulgo.

It was a great opportunity for bolstering support of local Welsh talent, and its place in the Sherman’s packed catalogue cements its place as one of the most active theatres in Wales .The venue doing all it can to heighten not only its already well regarded profile, but that of fresh talent and Welsh arts. Seeing new talent in a space evidently very invested in the future of theatre with so much packed into its tight schedule seems a must for anyone interested in looking out for the future landscape of Welsh Theatre.

http://connections.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Theatre

Review Dracula Sherman Players by Becca Hobbs

July 24, 2015 Rebecca Hobbs Leave a comment

Entering the Sherman Studio to pulsating music, you take your seat and look down into the pit where the cast are already in motion, rocking, twitching, sighing and gliding around with glazed expressions; the play’s preoccupation with madness is already apparent.
With an uncluttered set of different sized boxes used as the bed and grave, the setting (by designer Bethany Seddon and scenic carpenter Matthew Thomas) has a simplistic but eerie quality. In the most medicalised version of Dracula that I have seen, Liz Lockheed’s contemporary adaptation is a testimony of shared madness. With two characters playing one part, the body and the mind are split in two, actualising the medical discourse of the late nineteenth century by visualising a split personality on stage.
There is real psychological drive to the performance that is carried by the characterisation of Renfield (Luther Phillips/Nicky Howard-Kemp) and the asylum backdrop. Ainsleigh Barber also plays her part in creating the imaginative madhouse as a foul-mouthed nurse with a look of lunacy herself. To see Renfield as a character is interesting as the text always mentions him within Dr Seward’s journal entries but he has no voice. In Lochhead’s adaptation, he sits at the heart of the action, looking down on his cast, quoting poor Tom (the madman in King Lear) as if locked in a bird-cage munching on flies. His verse is poetic despite its jittery and schizophrenic nature and is sensitively interpreted by Luther Phillips and Nicky Howard-Kemp who are both particularly convincing. Having a male and female counterpart for the representation of madness is a fantastic idea.
As the sighs from the psychiatric patients become the sound of the train shooting down the tracks, the underlying technological movement from Bram Stoker’s text emerges and the sensual movement becomes systematic.
Set against Dracula’s predatory movement and the sexualised female ruby lips of Alys Wilcox, a lot of the characters – Harker (Finbar Varrel), Mina (Ruth Long/ Kirsty Campbell) and Florrie (Alice Muzzioli/Inari Soinila), a new addition to cast as the maid – are noticeably domesticated and the women are dressed in dirty white attire; Florrie with a baby on the way, and Mina and Harker unable to let go of the fact that the other was seduced by the darkness of vampirism. Stoker wrote his novel only a few years after Jack the Ripper and the sense of fear and use of protruding shadows aligned with the domestic snippets bring this production into the real world. Or so it seems until the madhouse is revisited again.
Alys Wilcox plays a seductive Dracula, eloquent but smouldering. Saskia Pay and Meg Lewis’ dual characterisation of Lucy is full of flirtation and gracefulness until the dramatically engaging transformation into frenzy during the nightmarish sleepwalking sequence where both girls are at their best. The whole cast works well together and aside from an occasional static line, it is clear that a lot of preparation has gone into the performance and the Sherman Players produce a very ambitious and interesting production.
The end, like the novel is anticlimactic. I was waiting was Van Helsing to appear above over Dracula’s body in a photo like shot holding the knife to sever the head, (especially after the camera played a great deal of significance), but that is a personal preference. Overall, the Sherman Players pulled off a very admirable first performance and the show is well worth a watch!
Wickedly innovative and full of conviction, this was a great start for the Sherman Players.
Performances are running at the Sherman Theatre until Saturday 25^th July, 7.30p.m nightly.
http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/performance/theatre/dracula/

Theatre

Review Double Dipp Date Night at The Sherman Theatre by Sarah Finch

July 13, 2015 Sarah Finch Leave a comment

“Love is blind…until you turn the lights on”
It’s Friday night, which means it’s Date Night!
On the 10^th of July in the foyer area of The Sherman Theatre, my ‘date’ and I were asked to slap on a name tag and take a seat ready for an hour of comedy gold presented by Double Dipp! We mingled with the rest of the audience and before I could take any more in we were thrown into the mix of three dates; an inappropriate venue, speed dating and a couple trying to spice up their relationship.
Whilst the all too relatable subject matter of the performance kept the entire room laughing throughout, I felt it was the chemistry between actors, actors and audience that made the show. It was those moments that had those real, hilarious stomach cringing truths that either you or ‘someone you knew’ had been involved in and the perfect delivery that kept those laughs coming.
Double Dipp have managed to create a brilliantly timed show that starts with a bang and keeps that high paced energy going through until the end, from observing the audience I can safely say this was a massive hit especially with the older generation of viewers that I had anticipated would tut and frown as oppose to the raucous outbursts of laughing that they did.
Well done to the Double Dipp Team, Louisa Marie Lorey and Geraint Jones, your supporting cast and to Chelsey Gillard on your directorial debut! Comedy can be seen as a risky, hit or miss business but considering the loud applause and standing ovations received, people will definitely be waiting in anticipation for Double Dipp’s next bout of hilarity.
Catch Double Dipp’s debut show Pick n Mixx at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 17^th-22^nd August.

Opera & classical

Review RWCMD The Cunning Little Vixen at the Sherman Theatre by Rebecca Hobbs

July 8, 2015 Rebecca Hobbs Leave a comment

Ninety years on and a cartoon strip that appeared in a Moravian newspaper continues to show us the nature of life and its cyclic immortality. Leoš Janáček’s beautiful and musically inviting The Cunning Little Vixen is currently being performed at the Sherman Theatre by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Every time this opera is recreated, the director is faced with a decision as to whether the human context is more important to focus on than the cartoon comic woodland fairy tale. On this occasion, Harry Fehr chooses an extreme and creates a complete human adaptation with a darker edge that plays against the cartoon (aside from the wedding party which is a welcome folk interlude). Rather than the human characters being anthropomorphised, Fehr concentrates on the characters’ animal instincts being dramatised.
The ‘Vixen’ is a moniker just as her love interest (Zlatohřbitek) goes by the name of ‘The Fox’. Throughout her youth Bystrouška (Sophie Levi) is convicted for a number of criminal activities. Locked up by Sheriff (Emyr Wyn Jones), her obsessive pursuer usually takes the form of a forester but the creatures of the animal kingdom are replaced by their domestic counterparts: holiday makers, police offers and a gang of ‘liberated’ female convicts that replace the clucking hens of the animal kingdom.
Whilst the production loses its comic enchanting quality, it was an interesting interpretation and one that comfortably plays to all the advantages of a young ensemble; the life cycle focuses on growing up and the adolescent right of passage. Sophie Levi’s expressive and impassioned performance as the cunning Vixen also captures an awkward teenage insecurity whilst she is being courted by Zlatohřbitek, her love interest, charmingly played by Jessica Robinson. In the male cast, Emyr Wyn Jones’ command of the Sheriff role and his character’s journey is particularly impressive. Whilst the futile attempts to catch the Vixen enrage him, his concluding paean to nature is poignant and his rich tone is perfectly complimented by the moving orchestral score.
Aside from a few stage glitches, the production was performed to an incredibly high standard and the star voices were as good any professional production. The RWCMD chamber orchestra conducted by David Jones brought the colourful and boisterous score to life as the comic character resonated through the music. If you are a fan of Janáček’s work, this unusual adaptation is well worth a watch.
The Cunning Little Vixen is on from 7-9^th July at the Sherman Theatre.
http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/performance/music/the-cunning-little-vixen/

Theatre

Review Mermaid, Shared Experience, Sherman Theatre by Rebecca Hobbs

April 21, 2015 Rebecca Hobbs Leave a comment

Miranda Mac Letten, Amaka Okafor, Sarah Twomey, Ritu Arya and Polly Frame

Photography by Robert Day

Writer and director Polly Teale’s Mermaid dives into the realm of feminist fairytales, embellishing the script with metaphors about finding a voice or a sense of self and struggling to break away from the the media’s artificial construct of beauty. In a cross between the Angela Carter esque allusions to blood stained sheets and the mutilation of Lavinia in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, the Little Mermaid’s rite of passage into a woman is a far cry from Hans Christian Anderson’s childhood classic.
Beneath the ocean waves, life is not tarnished by the modern world’s inflictions and agendas. It is simple and carefree but the human world is too excessive in drumming its disillusioning message into us with the Prince whose post traumatic stress mirrors drowning, a cyber bullying attack and a media exposed bulimia case. The little mermaid’s transition into a woman is witnessed by both the audience and a chorus of young girls didactically onlooking and partaking from the side of the stage, joining in the siren’s song.
Beautifully choreographed by Liz Ranken, the mermaids fluid movements are mesmerising. They do not need the shimmering tail to glide over the waves. The Little Mermaid’s (Sarah Twomey) movement is exquisite and her counterpart Blue (Natalie Gavin) balances this well with a heartfelt spoken performance. The calculated three-headed sea witch (Ritu Arya, Miranda Mac Letten and Amaka Okafor) is grossly captivating and the cast all really embrace this unusual merging of both physical and text-based theatre.
The symbiotic relationship between Blue and the Little Mermaid, Anderson’s tale and a contemporary growing up narrative feels somewhat hazy. I found that the production drowned out the script and because of this the complexity of what the script is trying to do is drowned out but this new material’s originality and ambition shows huge potential. A brave and inspired retelling.

Dance

Review Rites of Spring/Petrushka, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff by Third Age Critic Barbara Michaels

April 10, 2014 Guy O'Donnell Leave a comment

RITES OF SPRING/PETRUSHKA at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Director & Choreography: Michael Keegan-Dolan
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre
Reviewer: Barbara Michaels
Ratings: [3.5]
With a stark monochrome setting and virtually no scenery, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre’s double bill, set to the powerful music of Igor Stravinsky, is contemporary dance with a vengeance. There is little or no acknowlegement paid to earlier balletic arrangements in the choreography. That is, perhaps, how it should be. What is lacking, however, in Michael Keegan- Dolan’s version, is clarity of context and relevance to the music. Despite the programme notes, some members of the audience were left floundering.
That is not to say, however, that these two pieces of dance theatre do not have merit. In Rites of Spring, Stravinsky’s vision of a solemn pagan rite with sacrifices to the god of spring, Keegan-Dolan uses the rhythmic elements of the music as a backdrop to violent scenes portraying pagan fertility rites ending in human sacrifice. At one point everyone strips – male dancers down to the buff while female members of the cast are permitted to retain bra and pants. Floral dresses are put on – and taken off again. A man gets murdered (why? Because he’s old, of course.}
Some spectacular dancing here, hard, exciting and physically testing, from both male and female members of the 14-strong International cast. While it is difficult to single out individuals, as the full cast are used throughout, mention must be made of one or two: Louise Mochia manages to remain graceful at all times, with lissom movements even when the pace is frenetic, while Anna Kaszuba displays amazing energy, coping with the considerable effort and expertise that the programme demands,
On the male side, there are striking elements, such as the wide-legged jumps done in unison while balancing cardboard boxes, cartwheels, somersaults, rhythmic stamping et al – some sequences are threatening and violent. This is not for the squeamish.
Petrushka, in the second half provides some light relief after the difficult first half. Petrushka was composed in 1911, and balletomanes will be familiar with the traditional ballet, which tells of a traditional Russian puppet, Petrushka, made of straw and sawdust, who comes to life. Again, Keegan-Dolan’s take brooks no quarter, paying no homage to the original apart from covering the dancers’ faces in dense white make- up like puppets. The cast displays wonderful fluidity of movement in this half, which is altogether more accessible, although there are still some shocks.
Despite the power of the dance, the strength and sheer volume of Stravinsky’s score tends at times to overwhelm the dancers, which is perhaps not surprising, given that it was conceived originally as a concert work. It was that great dancer Diaghilev who, back in 1910, persuaded him otherwise, resulting in the performances that caused much outraged comment back in the early 20^th century. Despite the clever concept which it undoubtedly is, the same might be said of Keegan-Dolan’s version.
Run: April 8 & 9

Creating opportunities for a diverse range of people to experience and respond to sport, arts, culture and live events. / Lleisiau amrywiol o Gymru yn ymateb i'r celfyddydau a digwyddiadau byw