At the Torch |
| The Torch Theatre- A Prayer for Wings , Sherman Theatre, Cardiff , March 10, 2001 |
| Set in Swansea, this emotional portrayal of a difficult existence brought feelings of sympathy whilst still succeeding in demonstrating considerable wit. With a script that has the potential to be comical yet heart-rendering, the director Peter Doran has really come to grips with the narrative and conveyed this story to the audience effectively. The characters seem to be exposed and fragile, it almost feels as though we, the audience are prying into rather than simply observing their very personal lives. And although both characters are acrimonious and self-centred at times, their love for each other is always apparent which is what makes it so touching. The making of the production most definitely lies with the performers themselves. Helen Griffin played the fault finding crippled mother and although Rita's (Catrin Rhys) pessimism was totally understandable, Griffin really helped us to understand how she must have been feeling considering she was barely forty and had led an active life before the disease had taken hold. On the other hand, the skillful portrayal of Rita meant that even when she expressed the desire to kill her mother, we understood that this wasn't any kind if life for a teenage girl. We forgave her just as her mother forgave her for continually returning to the boys to make money for sexual favours. The play is set in a disused church and designer, James Humphrey had captured this realistically. The set also assisted in demonstrating the poverty in which they were living, with its column and fonts being used as a washing-up basin. Rita's bedroom was on a raised platform so we could see and hear what was coming from both rooms though the characters were oblivious. This worked very well in certain scenes as the conflicting opinions from both characters made it very difficult to side with one in particular. It also allowed us to see what Rita was doing with the different boys that she brought back and because we are aware that Mam could not see any of this only made us feel for her more. The theme of entrapment was emphasised with each character's situation. Her illness, her lack of capital and her narrow-minded opinions concerning sexual relations with men trapped the mother. Rita was unable to lead a 'normal' life due to her mother's illness, but her self-confidence, or lack of it also trapped her. The ending was predictable and nauseatingly sentimental but the play needed the emotional climax and the audience needed some kind of resolution to an otherwise painfully poignant story. |
Reviewed by: Victoria Cooper |
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