| More Sunday night TV drama than incisive comment on the human condition |
At Sgript Cymru |
| Sgript Cymru- Acqua Nero , Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff , February 28, 2007 |
Seven years is a long time for a company to survive in the constantly changing environment of the Welsh theatre scene. Although this isn’t the end for Sgript Cymru, as the company designated to promote new writing in Wales it will continue as part of the newly formed Sherman Theatre Company once the refurbishments have been completed. Acqua Nero is thankfully a much stronger development in playwriting than their last production, Orange and gives us the opportunity to welcome artistic director Simon Harris back into the director’s chair. He has now completed his sojourn as the first Welsh Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme, where under the guidance of Lord Kinnock of Islwyn he is now equipped to play an even more significant part in the development of Welsh theatre! The play tells a fascinating story with its beginnings in wartime followed by a look at life in present day Italy. Whilst it is a very human story, it is described as a thriller and it is very difficult to comment on any part of the action without giving away details of the intriguing plot . Although the writing does not fail, it still seems to be exploring what kind of play it is. There is some depth but I wonder does it go deep enough. Writer Meredydd Barker can tell a good story but veers more towards Sunday night TV drama than an incisive comment on the human condition. The central character, Old Dario Murazzo is given a very fine and well-rounded performance by Mike Hayward but I feel that despite his ‘wayward’ past, he is a man we ought to feel some sympathy for in order for the play to properly involve our spirits. We are captivated by the performance of his granddaughter Isabel played by Eiry Hughes, who does ‘ordinariness’ and sensitivity so well as to almost become self-effacing. She is regarded more as a convenience by her grandfather and as a burden by her father. Philip Ralph engages us as much with his lack of sensitivity as his daughter does with her strong expression of it. It is the tussle and the revelations that emerge from within this family group that form the narrative of the present day part of the play. Sean Crowley’s crisply executed set spreads itself along a wide central strip of the studio theatre, with the audience stretched out on either side. Wartime is at one end of the set and the present day at the other. The war end consists of trees and a river. We meet the young Dario Murrazzo here, two young German Officers and an unfortunate Russian Soldier. All credit to Dean Rehman for the way he gets his tongue convincingly around his few lines in the Russian language. Daniel Hawksford, Simon Nehan and Richard Elis bring these war-cynical young men clearly to life. This was a preview performance, their dialogue opened up the play and most certainly we could hear them very clearly. I feel sure that by now they and all the rest of the cast will have found the correct pitch, in this intimate space, that will give the play a gripping intensity that will draw the audience even more into the action. The play as written has a stronger and more final ending than the one incorporated into this production. Neither ending allowed me to care and I just felt that I needed to care for somebody or about something for this play to fully succeed or was its success that it could engage us with characters with whom, on the whole we could feel no sympathy at all. |
Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan |
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