| Gulp by Roger Williams |
| First presented in 1997 by Made in Wales |
| cast size:. |
There is 1 review of Made in Wales's Gulp in our database:
| A play of extraordinary understanding | |
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Gulp
by Roger Williams
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[print] |
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venue Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff |
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September 6, 2006 |
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| Steve Fisher with his excellent cast produced a very strong and moving reading of Roger William’s first play of ten years ago. The humanity in the play came through very strongly. Attitudes to homosexuality have improved, as have the understanding and treatment for Aids in the meantime but the human dilemmas and the struggles of young people and the growing awareness of their sexuality remain serious problems to this day and will for ever be so. For a new play by a new playwright Gulp shows an extraordinary understanding of the techniques of play construction, and with its poetic ‘wooden raft’ metaphor running through the play we get a glimpse of the artist that Roger Williams has become. It’s a long while since we have had a play from him and a new play now would be welcomed with interest and great anticipation. Each actor was able to create a very believable and vivid character and they all quickly overcame the constraints of having the scripts in their hands. Lee Haven-Jones as Rob was both compelling and commanding at the beginning of the play which he quickly changed to bewilderment and vulnerability when he knew that there was the possibility he may have been infected with the HIV virus. His ex-partner, Steven, was given a strong and cool performance by Glyn Morgan, hovering menacingly like the spectre at the feast. We got an amazing amount of ‘Bonnie Tyler’ vitality, coupled with a very intelligent reading of the role of Susie from Sara Lloyd. She is more than ably supported by the excellent Nathan Sussex as the macho straight guy of the pack, again this actor is able to demonstrate that there is more than one aspect of character to a seemingly ordinary chap like Luke Newly outed Mark, was subtlety drawn by Morgen Rhys, growing in confidence as he settles in with Rob. He demonstrates a whole confusion of feelings at Rob’s reaction to his bad news but he is the one who eventually finds the strength to help everyone move on. Steve Fisher’s direction gave the story just the right atmosphere getting the balance between humour and sensitivity spot on. The play caused quite a stir when it was first produced, society has moved on and in some ways is much more tolerant but sadly that doesn’t help the suffering and fear of many people still fighting to come to terms with these traumas. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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