Theatr y Byd |
| Theatr y Byd- Butterfly , Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff , March 28, 2006 |
Butterfly is a beautiful play, at times delicate like the brush of a butterfly’s wing, at other times haunting and towards the end, has us on the edge of our seats with excitement. The clarity and flow of Ian Rowlands’ poetry is extremely intoxicating. And has the potential to bubble like champagne. Unusually for Rowlands this is a play not set in Wales. Not that his Welsh plays are in any way bound by their setting. Here, by focusing on the lives of three intense and complex people, living through their own personal trauma, he reveals and questions weaknesses that lie at the heart of humanity and may well undermine the progress of our civilisation. – Isn’t that what all good plays are about?With each play we are able to celebrate the writer’s consummate artistic creativity but it is his command of the craft of playwriting that captivates here. An older man has just brought a younger man back to his elegant home for a night of passion but do they jump straight into bed? No. As they seductively circle one another they dazzle us with a totally captivating discourse on the nature of modern art and the nature of beauty with shafts of Rowlands’ wry humour shooting in, all the while. The man is an art critic, a near perfect performance by Ian Saynor, particular in more emotional and sensitive moments towards the end of the play, where we become gripped by the power of his slowly breaking endurance. But to begin with he is drinking wine and preparing for love with Boy, sturdily played by Sam Miller. Sam is bewildered by the lack of paintings on the art critic’s wall. The critic hints that earlier circumstances have drained him of his ability to appreciate the beauty in works of art and that he has despatched all his paintings, bubble-wrapped into store. What does intrigue the boy is the display of wing-outstretched butterflies around the room, part of the atmospheric art installation of Tim Davies. The critic now prefers “dead flying things” to vital modern works of art around him. The magic of the play intensifies as the real butterfly emerges, Alison John looking colourful and attractive. The boy can see her clearly. We become aware of a close bond between them, the critic feels her presence but is unable to see her. Chris Morgan directs and choreographs deftly, they circle, and again the atmosphere is glistened by the music and haunting voice of Amy Wadge. The play ends. Some wrongs have been righted - maybe and some remain but we have all been totally engaged. However the impact of play is much stronger than in this production. The opening scenes needed more charisma and light. The characters of Boy and Butterfly need to be more clearly drawn and played with greater strength and conviction. There was an appreciation of the of the subscript but it could have done with a bit deeper understanding and commitment. |
Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan |
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