25/07/2016
Here is another review ...........I Merlin and the lady of the Flowers
A young schoolgirl, struggling with her English homework, is transported by her father, Merlin, back to medieval Wales, to meet prince Llewellyn, who had been cursed by his mother, the witch Arianrhod. She had disowned her son and through a curse prevented him from ever marrying a woman born from a human mother. So consequently, Llewellyn was not raised by his mother but by his uncle Gwydion, also a wizard. When Llewellyn became a man, Gwydion teamed up with a group of other wizards in order to find a way round the curse, and together they agreed to create a wife for Llewellyn out of flowers. She was a named Blodeuwedd.
This was an ambitious production of a complex narrative by the Penarth based company, Night Owl Theatre, featuring a very talented cast, excellent music and some very fine performances. The script was based on the story of Blodeuwedd, drawn from the famous Welsh Mabinogion tales, but it also featured the wizard Merlin, ably played a gravel voiced and authoritative Dan Lambert, who served as the central narrator along with his inquisitive schoolgirl daughter Geneth (Eleni Young).
Merlin served a 'critical friend' to the group of wizards led by Gwydion, in a thoughtful performance by Iain Scott, with strong support from Taliesin (Steven Evans), Pryderi (Michael Jarrod), Gilfaethwy (Greg Dummer) and King Math, Llewellyn's father (Brynley Stone). Early on in the show the wizards collectively perform a highly amusing, comical song and dance number, but they are soon brought down to earth by Merlin who warns them that no good would come of trying to tame nature by creating Blodeuweddd.
Llywelyn's boyhood sweetheart, Sioned was sympathetically played by Anna-Ffion Cole who gave a moving performance, articulating the pain of unrequited love, as she could not marry Llewellyn. But, after her dramatic entrance, the stage belonged to Blodeuwedd, played with pouting intensity by Tara Camm, whose powerful, tuneful voice filled the hall. She managed to capture Blodeuwedd's essence as a woman struggling with her need to return to nature, revealing a wild spirit that could not be contained. But the story ends in a double tragedy. Blodeuwedd betrays Llewellyn by having an affair Gronw, a warrior and hunter, in an energetic performance by Nico Lee Walters. Llewellyn eventually slays Gronw and Blodeuwedd is punished by being turned into an Owl by Gwydion.
This was an excellent show, suitable for the whole family, although younger children might find some of the scenes towards the end a bit frightening. Kathryn Cole deserves extensive praise for the varied and accomplished songs and arrangements which were a consistent feature of the production, complemented by Ieuan Rhys' skilled direction.
Hywel Wiliam
