| A major New Welsh play |
At Sgript Cymru |
| Ruth is Stranger Than Richard / Sgript Cymru- An Enemy for the People , Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff , July 14, 2006 |
The company’s publicity brochure has written on it, in very small print, the words “A new Play by Gary Owen”. These words need to be printed much, much larger and should say “A Great New Play by Gary Owen”. The play marks the writer’s coming of age. Not that there has been anything immature about his previous work. There he has explored his own thoughts and the inner workings of the human mind looking out and puzzling within. Now, working in a clear narrative form, he, not unlike Ibsen himself, assumes the poet’s position and takes a detached look at life and he doesn’t like much of what he sees. This is a play about politics and in some ways the poet and the politician share similar aspirations. As the politicians lose their way, we need our poets and playwrights to bring them back down to earth. The leading character in the play is the First Minister of a recently devolved nation and he seems to be doing all right, probably marking himself at about 8/10. Actor Steffan Rhodri stands handsome and tall and brings us an intelligent and sharply observed performance with just the combination of arrogance and self-doubt to make us feel that his First Minister is someone we could almost trust. Owen opens the play on a light satirical note. The FM and his attractive political assistant, a beautiful, and cool performance of understated determination from Clare Cage, are discussing security plans for a new Assembly building. It seems that the proposed very expensive tank- deterrent is going to prove totally useless. Like many great satirists Gary Owen seems to have a sneaking warm regard for his targets and although he pulls no punches, this adds a touch of elegance to the work. Owen’s writing has a distinctive touch of Stoppardian wit with an almost Shavian insight and an irony stolen from Oscar Wilde. Whilst he makes no shattering philosophical comment, it is in the very nature of his naturalistic dialogue that the play finds its dynamism and vitality. This is a major New Welsh play. It is refreshingly well directed by Adele Thomas, brining a strong combination of youthful experience in both writing and directing in Wales that is to be greatly welcomed and encouraged. The balance sheet for the devolved government is not looking good, The play concludes that there’s just not enough people in there with the wit to do the job properly, a view many will share with the playwright. Maybe the population is just too small to produce the intellects qualified to run the ‘Principality’, a word that really gets under the skin of Rhodri’s now struggling FM. Or is democracy just too difficult a system for mere human beings to cope with? He decides that a referendum for Independence is the only way forward. A referendum that everyone else thinks is sure to be lost; yet another potentially great man losing his way! A great deal of back-stabbing and complicated scheming led by old political hand Glyn played with a compelling Kinnockesque relish by Ifan Huw Dafydd and involving an excellent and strongly convincing performance from Jonathan Floyd. The FM is made An Enemy for the People, the referendum is won. Where the hell do we go from here? Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard has received project funding from the Arts Council of Wales just for these five days at Chapter in Cardiff. All the Council’s funds have been allocated for this present year. Culture Minister Alun Pugh wants to take over the Arts Council because not enough of its annual £27 millions goes to Wales’ Objective One areas. He should put his money where his mouth is and give the company additional resources from his Cultural Fund so that it can take the play to every theatre and hall in every Objective 1 town and village throughout Wales. |
Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan |
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