| "If There is One Play You Must See..." |
Mr Jones |
| Wilmas Productions , Jade Studio at Greenside @ George Street Edinburgh , August 21, 2025 |
The production's publicity read:“144 lives. 10% of this total shared a surname: Jones. Aberfan, 1966. As self-proclaimed rugby prodigy Stephen revels in his greatest kick, 150,000 tonnes of coal careen down the hillside towards Pantglas Junior School. “Following sold-out, critically acclaimed performances at the Union Theatre, London, and on tour, Liam Holmes' powerful new play comes to the Edinburgh Fringe – blending drama, poetry, verbatim, and first-hand accounts of the 1966 Welsh mining disaster and its devastating aftermath. Exploring the complexities of grief, Mr Jones offers a poignant and honest portrait of a community irrevocably changed by tragedy.” * * * * West End Best Friend was there: “If there is one play you must see this Fringe, it’s Mr Jones at the Greenside @ George Street and if you can't get to Edinburgh, you should help Wilmas Productions in bringing this tale to a wider audience in 2026. “It will be the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster in the Welsh Valleys and a story that horrified the world and brought attention to this small community when 116 children and 28 adults were killed when a mining slag heap slipped in the rain and engulfed a school. “Like Boiler Room 6 which we saw earlier this Fringe, this play brings powerful, emotional stories back into our consciousness. Both the impact on survivors and their families was massive for years to come and those affected did not talk about the disaster for years. “Liam Holmes, fresh from Guildford School Of Acting, has written the play, performed in a shortened one-hour version at the Fringe and plays Stephen Jones opposite Mabli Gwynne as Angharad, a slightly older local nurse. She has acted as mother to his younger brother David since his Mum died. “The writing is simply superb, full of emotion and power, yet feeling true and real as their relationship is revealed and developed. Director Michael Neri gets the pacing exactly right, using pauses to allow us to feel and see their emotions despite cutting the running time in half for the Fringe. It is nearly halfway through before we hear the slag heap slip and they finally mention Aberfan. The verbatim voiceovers connect us to the real people in the story. “Yet what really stirs the emotions is the phenomenal acting by these two young people. It is totally believable in their affection, elation at Rugby success, and torment and anger in the aftermath. You can't fail to be emotionally engaged by the performances and moved by their relationship together and with his seen Father and Brother. “In thirty shows at the Fringe this year, we have seen nothing with this power and if we could give it six stars, we would, as it stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Discovering performers like this is what the Fringe is about and this is a story that needs telling on its 60th anniversary.” With thanks and acknowledgement: https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/fringe-review-mr-jones-greenside-at-george-street * * * * Theatre and Art Reviews was there: “If you are Welsh and of any age, the Aberfan coal tip disaster which claimed over 100 lives and wiped out a generation of children from this small community is a story – or even memory – you will never forget. With the 60th anniversary of the tragedy just a year away, this intimate, two person performance views the story from the perspective of the lives left behind, and the relationship they had before – and after. “One an older brother, the other a young nurse with undefined affection and potential infatuation most of the play revolves around an insight into everyday valley life and relationships. Rugby wins, gossip, crushes and future hopes and dreams are played out through humour, enticing dialogue and genuine chemistry between the two young leads. “There is more than romantic tension underneath if you know what is to come, perpetuated by young Mr Jones’ attempts to talk to his ‘absent’ father. The tragedy itself is touched on lightly, respectfully and for seconds that leave a growing hole within the shared space that quickly tumbles into the reality and impact of immeasurable grief. "The audience as voyeurs are both moved and exposed in the power of such vulnerability and truth. In a festival full of laughs and music this small slice of drama is a refreshing drink that both challenges and stirs. An important piece, regardless of your nationality. With thanks and acknowledgement: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mr-jones |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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