| “Sell Out Shows at the Scala in Merthyr...a Feeling We Were onto a Winner" |
Stiff |
| Gurnwah Productions , Greenside@ Riddles Court- Thistle Theatre , August 26, 2024 |
The description of “Stiff” read:“Ever been in a situation where you need to get rid of something fast, but haven’t got a clue how to do it? This black comedy play is all about when nice turns to naughty then ends up in a nightmare... Stiff: when time is running out! A good old-fashioned British comedy farce with a smidgeon of murder and a splash of sex. Who would have thought a bit of harmless rumpy-pumpy could be so dead…ly! “ * * * * ‘Stiff’ was written by Merthyr playwright Anthony Bunko. The Gurnwah Theatre Company played to strong audiences. Like all companies the cost of getting to the Fringe was daunting. Bunko: “The biggest struggle we had to get it to Edinburgh was not getting any funding but in the spirit of 1977, we decided to still go and hopefully make Merthyr and Wales proud of our efforts. “We decided to ask for sponsors to help out and the response was incredible. But I must give a special mention to Keith Allen – the actor – who gave us a massive amount of money within 5 minutes of us putting a post up.” “Also lots of individuals and business in Merthyr and beyond donated raffle prizes which also chipped away at the £8k it costs to go to the fringe. It’s not cheap paying for accommodation, venues, travel, props, flyers, registration, insurance. “Then we played three sell out shows at the Scala in Merthyr before we departed and the feedback was brilliant. We had a feeling we were onto a winner.” The cast was Shelly Morgan, Rob Murphy, Julian Richards, Emma Hickey and Cameron Jones. Sharon James-Evans directed. Bunko: “One of the fears when you come to a place which has got over 3000 plus acts and everyone competing is that for all your hard work and efforts, you don’t attract an audience. But we sold out every day and the comments and reaction has been astonishing. We couldn’t have wished for better. We have had people stopping us in the street or coming up to us in the pub after and raving about the play.” Audience reaction: “One of the funniest plays I have ever seen. Very cleverly written”” “What a fantastic show. I haven’t laughed like that for ages” “I always knew the Welsh sense of humour was special…this just proved it” “Stiff was hilariously funny from start to finish. Best comedy I’ve seen at the Fringe.” “Fantastic time watching Stiff performed to a full house” “Well, ‘Stiff’ was brilliant, proper laugh out loud! You must be so proud” * * * * Extracts with thanks and acknowledgement from sources: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stiff https://nation.cymru/culture/the-welsh-comedy-that-has-taken-the-edinburgh-festival-by-storm/ |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
This review has been read 188 times |
