"And Suddenly I Disappear" / "35 Times" / "The Awkward Years" / "Vincent River" / "Let's Talk About Death, Baby" / "La Traviata" / NTW Letter

Another amusing month of theatre-reviewing, starting with Kaite O’Reilly’s “And Suddenly I Disappear” at Chapter, a multimedia disquisition on attitudes towards disability, taking in both the U.K and Singapore; a trip to Newport to see the touring revival of Mercury Theatre Wales’ “35 Times”, taking on marital abuse; Matthew Bulgo’s “The Awkward Years” at The Other Room, featuring an excellent solo performance from Lauren O’Leary as a young woman on the verge of self-destruction; the unfamiliar location of Jacobs Antiques Market to catch Philip Ridley’s surprisingly conventional tale of homophobic violence, “Vincent River”; back to Chapter for “Dick Johns – Let’s Talk About Death, Baby”, the sort-of sequel to his “What Mid-Life Crisis” show from 2016; and most spectacularly, the Welsh National Opera’s re-staging of their first ever show at the Wales Millennium Centre, Verdi’s “La Traviata” – a rare chance to see a popular classical opera in a period setting.

"The Awkward Years" (photo: Kirsten McTernan)

Added to this, I was one of the signatories of an open letter to National Theatre Wales, questioning their work-rate and artistic policies, which turned out to be somewhat newsworthy, and may actually have some impact, hopefully positive.