| mother tongue by Roger Williams |
| First presented in 2005 by Non- professional or Amateur production |
| cast size:? |
There are 4 reviews of Non- professional or Amateur production's Mother Tongue in our database:
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Mother Tongue
by Mark Jenkins
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[print] |
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venue Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff |
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July 19, 2005 |
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| Roger Williams’ writing continues to mature in its dazzle, elegance and subtlety. His claim for the defence of minority languages is set out with suitable erudition underpinned by sharp flashes of comedy exposing the writer’s wry sense of understanding of the human psyche. That same touch of elegance is reflected in James Tyson’s direction. He moves his characters smoothly around on designer Paul Rees’ huge plain white chessboard set, as the characters play out the game. In the first half of the play to seek the prize and in the second, particularly in the case of one character, fighting for checkmate. We are in a large luxuriously appointed Cardiff Hotel. Linguistic experts have gathered to make a new International Award of 1.4 million dollars to the best presentation of a scheme to save a minority language. First of the final four making the pitch is Joel, an American who wants the money to set up, using digital technology, a television system, transmitting across America programmes dubbed into all the fading Native American languages. Secondly there’s Gail, and although played by leading Welsh actress Sharon Morgan is, surprisingly, not there to save the Welsh language. Gail is undoubtedly a Celt, although gone a bit posh. She’s there making a case for the retention of Cerlith, the language of an island somewhere within the Celtic perimeter. Morgan and actor Stephen Marzella both coolly dressed and sophisticated, fellows of the North Atlantic, present their urbanity, with a somewhat mechanical attitude to their casual sex and a confident very laid back approach to their linguistic proposals. At first this appears very much in contrast to their Antipodean adversaries. Skirted, gay, Polynesian Amos appears quite gauche and nervous at first, as he makes a passionate demand to establish “The Sweet Project” setting up a recording studio to make pop records in Thiai to re-engage with the young people of the island. Victor Rodger certainly gives us the feeling that he harbours very strong and well thought-out feelings for his cause. There also seems a touch of the primitive about Aboriginal Nangarra Yinpungu. The fact that she has left a dying mother at home is an indication of her deep care for her Gurru Gurru language, although there seems to be a thought, relished by Joel, that it’s already too late to save it. Sandra Kelly is quite masterful in the way she presents the range of emotions and strengths inside her character. Clutching her pregnant stomach with a delicate mime, a moment of real beauty, she ends this fascinating play. “Iwe Marra” Of course, as the play evolves we become more aware of the wisdom and humanity in these to, as increasing banality and insensitivity emerge from their Western competitors. One of the great strengths of the play is in Roger Williams’ clear realisation of his characters and drawing such contrasts between them. I would have liked to have seen a little more deeper character drawing from all the actors at times, although they did bring a great deal of strong conviction to the complex roles. The matter of the script was a challenging listen but well worth the concentration demanded. The discursive linguistics that are set out in the first act end on a note of tension, all the pitches have been made and the experts have been summoned to hear the result. Williams notches up the drama, as the second act opens we learn the outcome is not quite as expected. This dilemma creates quite a different attitude within the protagonists and the play continues with a new dramatic urgency that does breathe a much-welcomed touch of vitality into the proceedings. This is very much a modern Welsh morality play. Increasingly Roger Williams seems to be coming out on the side of the good guys. With its international flavour, with just a few small tweaks, this production is one that would travel well in both hemispheres. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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|
mother tongue
by Roger Williams
|
[print] |
|
venue Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff |
|
|
July 19, 2005 |
|
| Roger Williams’ writing continues to mature in its dazzle, elegance and subtlety. His claim for the defence of minority languages is set out with suitable erudition underpinned by sharp flashes of comedy exposing the writer’s wry sense of understanding of the human psyche. That same touch of elegance is reflected in James Tyson’s direction. He moves his characters smoothly around on designer Paul Rees’ huge plain white chessboard set, as the characters play out the game. In the first half of the play to seek the prize and in the second, particularly in the case of one character, fighting for checkmate. We are in a large luxuriously appointed Cardiff Hotel. Linguistic experts have gathered to make a new International Award of 1.4 million dollars to the best presentation of a scheme to save a minority language. First of the final four making the pitch is Joel, an American who wants the money to set up, using digital technology, a television system, transmitting across America programmes dubbed into all the fading Native American languages. Secondly there’s Gail, and although played by leading Welsh actress Sharon Morgan is, surprisingly, not there to save the Welsh language. Gail is undoubtedly a Celt, although gone a bit posh. She’s there making a case for the retention of Cerlith, the language of an island somewhere within the Celtic perimeter. Morgan and actor Stephen Marzella both coolly dressed and sophisticated, fellows of the North Atlantic, present their urbanity, with a somewhat mechanical attitude to their casual sex and a confident very laid back approach to their linguistic proposals. At first this appears very much in contrast to their Antipodean adversaries. Skirted, gay, Polynesian Amos appears quite gauche and nervous at first, as he makes a passionate demand to establish “The Sweet Project” setting up a recording studio to make pop records in Thiai to re-engage with the young people of the island. Victor Rodger certainly gives us the feeling that he harbours very strong and well thought-out feelings for his cause. There also seems a touch of the primitive about Aboriginal Nangarra Yinpungu. The fact that she has left a dying mother at home is an indication of her deep care for her Gurru Gurru language, although there seems to be a thought, relished by Joel, that it’s already too late to save it. Sandra Kelly is quite masterful in the way she presents the range of emotions and strengths inside her character. Clutching her pregnant stomach with a delicate mime, a moment of real beauty, she ends this fascinating play. “Iwe Marra” Of course, as the play evolves we become more aware of the wisdom and humanity in these to, as increasing banality and insensitivity emerge from their Western competitors. One of the great strengths of the play is in Roger Williams’ clear realisation of his characters and drawing such contrasts between them. I would have liked to have seen a little more deeper character drawing from all the actors at times, although they did bring a great deal of strong conviction to the complex roles. The matter of the script was a challenging listen but well worth the concentration demanded. The discursive linguistics that are set out in the first act end on a note of tension, all the pitches have been made and the experts have been summoned to hear the result. Williams notches up the drama, as the second act opens we learn the outcome is not quite as expected. This dilemma creates quite a different attitude within the protagonists and the play continues with a new dramatic urgency that does breathe a much-welcomed touch of vitality into the proceedings. This is very much a modern Welsh morality play. Increasingly Roger Williams seems to be coming out on the side of the good guys. With its international flavour, with just a few small tweaks, this production is one that would travel well in both hemispheres. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
|
|
Mother Tongue
by Mark Jenkins
|
[print] |
|
venue Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff |
|
|
July 22, 2005 |
|
| Roger Williams has been away from the Welsh stage for too long, now with a BAFTA nomination and Pobol y Cwm to his name: as a rising young playwright he had brought a breath of fresh air with works like Gulp and Saturday Night Forever, accessible and entertaining plays that with their seemingly effortless gay gaze exposed not just homophobia but the cultural identity crisis of his country. Williams seems secure of his own identity as a West Walian, Welsh-speaking gay writer, put to the test not only in an urban-dominated macho Anglophone Wales but as a cultural ambassador to other parts of the world, notably Australia. There he found inspiration not only in soap operas (his garish sitcom Killing Kangaroos was a not altogether successful product) but in Aboriginal culture and language – and hence Mother Tongue, five years in gestation and now a main feature of Cardiff’s Passion theatre festival. Those years writing for the small screen have had their effect and I suspect this would work better as a tv play – but to compensate director James Tyson and his designer Paul Rees have staged it as a minimalist European-style drama, a square white floor and four white panels as the set. That period in Australia and subsequent visits to New Zealand and the States have also steered his writing away from comedy to more political issues around the threat to indigenous languages, and Mother Tongue is set at a conference in Cardiff where four delegates are bidding for a million-dollar grant for their pet project. There’s the English-accented Gail (a cool Sharon Morgan), a self-serving academic who left her Celtic island for fame and fortune in London, Amos (Victor Rodger), an enthusiastic gay Polynesian, Nangarra (Sandra Kelly), an Aborigine whose mother is dying of cancer, and Joel (Stephen Marzella), an American for whom saving Native American languages is inextricably linked to commercial interests. Some may be familiar but none is exactly a sympathetic character except for Nangarra – and even she may well be distorting the statistics about speakers of her native tongue. The scene is set, then, for a drama of ideas, maybe in the vein of Edgar, Hare or Stoppard, and we have each of the four addressing us with their project. Except there are no new ideas, no debate. Gail is more interested in her affair with Joel, Joel is s high-flying winner who seduces anyone in order to win, Amos is making a play for Joel, and Nangarra gets the audience sympathy vote because she isn’t chasing anyone and cares only about her mother and her tongue. She is also the only character who is given any real understanding of the links between language and culture, the lone voice in a sea of cynicism, self-interest or simple-mindeness. What looked like a rigorous discussion on the tragedy of disappearing languages becomes a personality-driven tale of fickle humanity, but a tale where we care little about the characters. It’s a strangely dull play, made more ascetic by the simple staging and more remote by poor acting (albeit with authentic backgrounds), with the second act certainly more lively than an interminable first part but ultimately simply not engaging enough. I would guess that Roger Williams has lived too long with the idea, because the work lacks many of the attributes that marked out his earlier plays and seems inorganic, with no real plot and certainly no surprises – one could excuse the cast for losing their lines so much on the first night because it all seems so artificial. It’s a subject that is so important, and one that the Welsh may feel almost smug in their apparent victory, but Mother Tongue only occasionally hints at the real debate. |
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| reviewer: David Adams |
|
|
mother tongue
by Roger Williams
|
[print] |
|
venue Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff |
|
|
July 22, 2005 |
|
| Roger Williams has been away from the Welsh stage for too long, now with a BAFTA nomination and Pobol y Cwm to his name: as a rising young playwright he had brought a breath of fresh air with works like Gulp and Saturday Night Forever, accessible and entertaining plays that with their seemingly effortless gay gaze exposed not just homophobia but the cultural identity crisis of his country. Williams seems secure of his own identity as a West Walian, Welsh-speaking gay writer, put to the test not only in an urban-dominated macho Anglophone Wales but as a cultural ambassador to other parts of the world, notably Australia. There he found inspiration not only in soap operas (his garish sitcom Killing Kangaroos was a not altogether successful product) but in Aboriginal culture and language – and hence Mother Tongue, five years in gestation and now a main feature of Cardiff’s Passion theatre festival. Those years writing for the small screen have had their effect and I suspect this would work better as a tv play – but to compensate director James Tyson and his designer Paul Rees have staged it as a minimalist European-style drama, a square white floor and four white panels as the set. That period in Australia and subsequent visits to New Zealand and the States have also steered his writing away from comedy to more political issues around the threat to indigenous languages, and Mother Tongue is set at a conference in Cardiff where four delegates are bidding for a million-dollar grant for their pet project. There’s the English-accented Gail (a cool Sharon Morgan), a self-serving academic who left her Celtic island for fame and fortune in London, Amos (Victor Rodger), an enthusiastic gay Polynesian, Nangarra (Sandra Kelly), an Aborigine whose mother is dying of cancer, and Joel (Stephen Marzella), an American for whom saving Native American languages is inextricably linked to commercial interests. Some may be familiar but none is exactly a sympathetic character except for Nangarra – and even she may well be distorting the statistics about speakers of her native tongue. The scene is set, then, for a drama of ideas, maybe in the vein of Edgar, Hare or Stoppard, and we have each of the four addressing us with their project. Except there are no new ideas, no debate. Gail is more interested in her affair with Joel, Joel is s high-flying winner who seduces anyone in order to win, Amos is making a play for Joel, and Nangarra gets the audience sympathy vote because she isn’t chasing anyone and cares only about her mother and her tongue. She is also the only character who is given any real understanding of the links between language and culture, the lone voice in a sea of cynicism, self-interest or simple-mindeness. What looked like a rigorous discussion on the tragedy of disappearing languages becomes a personality-driven tale of fickle humanity, but a tale where we care little about the characters. It’s a strangely dull play, made more ascetic by the simple staging and more remote by poor acting (albeit with authentic backgrounds), with the second act certainly more lively than an interminable first part but ultimately simply not engaging enough. I would guess that Roger Williams has lived too long with the idea, because the work lacks many of the attributes that marked out his earlier plays and seems inorganic, with no real plot and certainly no surprises – one could excuse the cast for losing their lines so much on the first night because it all seems so artificial. It’s a subject that is so important, and one that the Welsh may feel almost smug in their apparent victory, but Mother Tongue only occasionally hints at the real debate. |
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| reviewer: David Adams |
|
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