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Showing posts with the label Denise Despreyroux

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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...
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Night and day: The Reality @CervantesTheatr

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What's real and what's imagined seem to be at the heart of The Reality. A new piece of writing by Denise Despeyroux and translated by Sarah Maitland. It's currently playing at the Cervantes Theatre . Told over a series of video chats, one sister is dying, and the other has to become more like her. Or is that what's happening? Is there a good sister and a darker sister? One sister who loves life and the other despair. As the sisters converse, it becomes less clear what really is happening and what are the games being played here. Maite Jáuregui holds your attention throughout, with her energetic performance as the darker sister. Full of rage and anger. Walking into the theatre, she is repeatedly chanting. It was quite an achievement as she had to do it for an extra five minutes due to latecomers. But the pre-recorded video of her alternate sister feels more like a gimmick and is often a distraction instead of supporting the drama and themes of the piece. Never...
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