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The Green, Green Grass of Home: Mr Jones An Aberfan Story - Finborough Theatre

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A life of hope and promise, interrupted, lies at the heart of Mr Jones: an Aberfan Story. The play follows two young people in Aberfan before and after the disaster that killed 144 people, including 116 children. It’s an emotional coming-of-age tale of intersecting lives, family, love, and the shock of tragedy. With two vivid performances and strong characterisations, you feel immersed in 1960s Welsh small-town life. It’s now running at the Finborough Theatre , after performances at the Edinburgh Festival and across Wales.  The Aberfan disaster is well known in the UK but perhaps less so elsewhere. The facts of the tragedy are confined to the programme notes rather than in the piece. On 21 October 1966, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on a mountain above Aberfan engulfed a local school, killing many. The play avoids the causes and negligence, instead focusing on those working and building lives in the town.  Writer-performer Liam Holmes plays Stephen Jones, a...

Puss and Dick under the influence: Kitten in Heels @LostTheatre


Kitten in Heels, playing at the Lost Theatre, takes the Dick Whittington pantomime and adds lashings of filth and smut. It's a naughty night out where the King Rat bears an unusual resemblance to Theresa May, and Dick's love interests is more interested in buying lemons.

But to really appreciate this show you need to be imbued with plenty of Christmas cheer.
There is a bar both inside the theatre and outside of it to assist, which may help overlook the slow pacing and the amateurish production. Plenty of audience members were making the most of the bars, but the effect was that they were making their own entertainment.


The story involves Dick inheriting a talking cat with a penchant for shoes. Heading off to London they meet Dame Choo of Shoes the Chemist. Dick falls in love with Dame Choo’s daughter Jenny. But Jenny seems to be hard to please. Meanwhile there is King Rat who between buying up properties and taking away affordable housing he is running for mayor.

It is topical and funny, there is a nice balance of cast members of both genders, but there is an awful lot of plot. It could have much more potential if it served as a showcase of the talents of its eccentric cast. There are also some wonderful costumes for Paul L Martin as Dame Choo, but the sum does not feel more than its often good parts.

Kitten in Heels is at the Lost Theatre on Saturday 12 December and then Friday 18 December through to Sunday 20 December.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎


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