Carlos Acosta / Spring Fringe / The Beauty Parade / Tylwyth

Well, obviously, coronavirus panic has called a halt to all theatrical activity for the time being (including a rudimentary project I was working on); but at least I managed to see and review some interesting stuff before the shut-down.

Acosta Danza (photo: Johan Persson)

The most high-profile was legendary Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta’s company delivering a beautifully diverse programme entitled “Acosta Danza Evolution” at the Wales Millennium Centre, culminating in Christopher Bruce’s amusing Rolling Stones-soundtracked “Rooster”. Also celebratory, although in a more sombre fashion was Kaite O’Reilly’s “The Beauty Parade”, in the W.M.C.’s Weston Studio - an aesthetically ambitious, multi-media tribute to female undercover operatives during World War 2.

 

Sophie Stone in "The Beauty Parade" (photo: Jorge Lizalde)

I also caught two shows in the now-truncated Spring Fringe season at The Other Room: the likeably ramshackle “Back To Berlin”, about the beginning of the end of the Cold War; and Katie Greenall’s “Fatty Fat Fat”, a brave but funny look at body image. There was, in addition, a trip to Newport’s Riverfront to see Operasonic’s enchanting “Vehicles”, a small-scale opera for young people, with a science-fiction twist.

 

"Back To Berlin" (photo: Dali Mia Poulsom)

The big hit of the year, however, was shaping up to be “Tylwyth” at the Sherman, Daf James follow-up to “Llwyth”, his pioneering look at the lives of gay men within a Welsh-speaking environment. I was delighted to note that a familiarity with the first play was unnecessary, and while I didn’t get all of the cultural references, sur-titles meant that most of the wit and darkness came across. Sadly, however, like most cultural life in the U.K. and beyond, the Welsh tour has been postponed.

 

"Tylwyth"

"Wolf" / "Suspense" / "Carmen"

Two theatre-reviewing assignments this week: my first visit of the year to The Other Room for a show in their Springe Fringe season of curated work – Lewis Doherty’s “Wolf” – a clever one-man parody action movie; and “An Evening Of… Suspense” – two classic American radio plays, including “Sorry, Wrong Number”, at the Atrium.

 

Lewis Doherty as "Wolf" (photo: Geraint Lewis)

In between, I took advantage of the rare opportunity to see an opera I’ve always wanted to  – Bizet’s “Carmen” from the Welsh National Opera at the Wales Millennium Centre (from the cheapest of cheap, restricted view tickets, in the upper circle). And a beautiful experience it was too, in Jo Davies’ production, apparently set in 1970s Brazil. Julia Mintzer was compellingly sexy as the titular temptress, but Peter Auty as soldier Don José and Giorgio Caoduru as Escamillo, the bullfighter she abandons him for were also hugely impressive, as was Elin Pritchard, making her home debut as the disregarded Micaëla. Timeless melodies, of course, teeing us up for the startlingly violent conclusion. Hopefully not the first major ambition I’ll achieve this year.