Sunday, May 25, 2014

Game of Thrones - Season Four: Mockingbird

Things start getting really interesting in this latest episode, hopefully interesting enough to sustain the most avid viewers of the show who will have to wait an extra week before they find out what happens next.

One of the most prominent storylines in this episode focussed on the continuation of Tyrion’s trial – now set to be a trial-by-combat – and this lead to several really strong scenes. The state of Tyrion’s relationships with his brother Jaime and close associate Bronn were really tested under the seriousness of the upcoming trial; Jaime is no longer the highly-skilled swordsman he once was, and Bronn values his friendship but would not be willing to die for it.

Before I go into further detail on these scenes I want to address the re-emergence of The Mountain (Cersei’s chosen champion for the trial). The actor in the role has changed once again – this is now the third Mountain – which is in some ways a relief as the actor in Season Two was not imposing in the slightest, whereas this new Mountain certainly looks the part. Ser Gregor Clegane is now played by Icelandic Strongman Hafbor Julius Bjornsson, and receives his (re)introduction mercilessly slaughtering slaves in King’s Landing. Bjornsson’s size and stature is able to get over the threat of the character, but despite the violent actions he performs he doesn’t really look that mean (his face looks a bit too mild). In Season One The Mountain was played by Conan Stevens, who – despite a small amount a screen-time – was completely believable in the role, had the right voice, looked physically imposing and genuinely scary. It will always be a frustration for me that he wasn’t able to stay in the role throughout. Nevertheless, Bjornsson’s version of The Mountain should at least look impressive when the trial-by-combat occurs.

Anyway, I’m pleased that the character has finally re-emerged as he has become one of those characters who has been talked about more than he’s actually appeared (particularly noticeable since The Hound’s involvement has increased). But who can Tyrion find to fight The Mountain on his behalf? During his previous trial-by-combat his initial choice to be his champion was his brother Jaime, but then Bronn stepped in and defeated Lysa Arryn’s Captain of the guard (and secured his position as a fan-favourite in the process: “No…he did!”) Tyrion approached both of them to fight The Mountain on his behalf, but to no avail. The scene between Tyrion and Bronn was surprisingly moving, a rare moment of sincerity between the two. It was interesting for a character like Bronn to actually admit to being afraid, something he’s never done before. Peter Dinklage – as ever – did a fantastic job showing Tyrion’s heartache, facing almost certain death, and not even able to rely on his few remaining friends any more.

But help came from a slightly more unexpected source, as Prince Oberyn willingly offered to be Tyrion’s champion, after a great speech. This was Pedro Pascale’s ‘Inigo Montoya’ moment, and he really made it count. Tyrion was clearly overwhelmed with gratitude (seriously, Peter Dinklage took it up a notch this week) as well as anger as he learned more about how much his sister had always hated him, even as a baby. Oberyn has already had plenty of great character defining moments, but this one really stood out. I mentioned back at the start of this season that I wish certain other character’s had received as much focus and more development (Qhorin Halfhand, Beric Dondarion, and Barristan Selmy amongst them).

Brienne and Podrick’s journey continued, and the two of them decided to take things easy by staying at an inn as opposed to sleeping rough. This just happened to be the inn where Hot Pie decided to stay after part ways with Arya’s group (as well as the same place that Ned Stark was forced to execute Sansa’s direwolf) and the travelling duo encountered Hot Pie who, despite not being prompted, talked at length about his love of pies. It is true, you cannot give up on the gravy! Despite his lack of wisdom, Hot Pie was able to prove his loyalty to Arya by not giving her away within earshot of everyone else at the Inn – but then he helped Brienne before she left, and showed off how much his bread-making skills have improved in the process. These were some nice scenes, that were able to provide a little bit of light-relief in amidst the heavier and more serious plot-lines, but they also served a clear purpose.

Arya and The Hound encountered a dying man on their travels, who was beyond saving. There was some philosophising over the notion of death, including a line about nothingness from Arya (it wasn’t one of the show’s best philosophical lines – they tend to come from Jorah) before The Hound did the merciful thing and gave the man a quick death. There was a nice parallel between this scene and the one with the Mountain, showing the difference between the two Clegane brothers. They’re both killers by nature, but one is capable of mercy, the other isn’t. The Hound was then surprise attacked by Biter (one of the black cell prisoners who was travelling to the Wall with Arya) who bit him in the neck, before having his neck snapped. Clearly the show’s writers had no plans for this character, as it wasn’t even clear who he was until his companion Rorge appeared. Rorge’s death also demonstrated a lack of commitment to his character, as it was almost comical (Arya simply pulled out Needle and stabbed him with it) although it gave Arya another cool moment, and showed that she won’t kill anyone unless she knows their name first – a method she’s taken from Jaqen H’Ghar.

There was then a rare moment of vulnerability for The Hound as Arya attempted to treat his bite wound by burning away the infection – but his lifelong fear of fire drove him to refuse. He then talked about his scarred face, and that the thing that hurt most of all was the fact that it was his own brother who did it to him. The partnership between Arya and the Hound has lasted much longer than I thought it would, and with the changes that are being made from the books I actually don’t know what’s going to happen with them next.

I was very pleased that the writers finally included a scene that saw Daenerys listen to someone else’s advice. In last week’s episode the Small Council discussed that fact that she has two seasoned knights counselling her, but for the last couple of season’s she has barely heeded a word of their advice. I assume that this was done to demonstrate her leadership skills, but it undermines both Jorah and Barristan making them look ineffective, and it also meant that Dany’s scenes became rather repetitive. To have her finally admit that she isn’t always right felt like a step in the right direction, and may result in a bit more character development.

And finally, things came to a head at the Eerie with Sansa and her crazy aunt Lysa. First of all though there was a scene I remember very clearly from the books: Sansa building a replica of Winterfell in the snow. It was a very moving moment in the books because Sansa – of all her siblings – was always eager to get away from Winterfell, but now after all that has happened and all the family and friend’s she has lost, she wants to see it again. This is made even sadder when her fragile snow castle is destroyed by the irritating Robin Arryn. She is then approached by Littlefinger – call me Petyr – who kisses her in the courtyard, under the watchful gaze of Lysa.

Lysa then confronts Sansa about this and threatens to throw her out of the Moon Door. Call me Petyr intervenes and then consoles Lysa by reassuring her that he has only ever loved one woman in all his life. I’m sure everyone knew that someone was going through the Moon Door, and sure enough Lysa – in the knowledge that Petyr never loved her, only her sister – was sent plummeting to her death in a very memorable ending to an episode.


This was a very good episode that made big steps for several plotlines, I really cn’t believe that it’s already really close to the end of the season. The next episode is called “The Mountain and The Viper” so there will be no more delaying of the trial by combat (other than a week’s hiatus of course!) and I know that I am very excited about seeing it. 

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Embrace (Live)

I think I need to address the ‘elephant in the room’ as it were, before I get into the main body of this review: Danny McNamara doesn’t have the strongest singing voice – particularly when performing live. This is something that I was already aware of before this gig. It’s something the band used to receive criticism for, but for me it’s not as much of an issue as it is for some others. As an aspiring musician myself I’ve not been blessed with the best singing voice, but I make the best use of it that I can, and consequently I’m able to view Danny with a strange sense of admiration. There are, after all, plenty of singers who have a tonne of natural ability, but do very little with it.

Nevertheless I was a little underwhelmed at times during the gig, as some of the songs didn’t quite hit the mark – in particular the newer material. This was an issue as the setlist opened with three songs from the new album, which dulled the momentum a bit – but things really picked up as the evening progressed. Richard performed the lead vocals for “Refugees” (just like on the album) and demonstrated a knack for hitting the high notes with more ease than his older brother. After this the band as a whole seemed more at ease, as the set moved into more established material: “Nature’s Law” and “My Weakness Is None Of Your Business” followed and really got the crowd going.

The live crowd in Bristol were voicing their desire to hear the latest single: “Follow You Home” frequently throughout the night. When the song finally came around, Danny urged the crowd to get out their phones and glow-sticks (a recurring motif throughout this tour) which allowed the song to be performed amidst a sea of red and white lights. The crowd wanted more after the song ended (the ‘oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh’ chorus kept re-emerging) and the band obliged by repeating the chorus a few more times. This would go on to happen again later in the night, at which point Danny said “We can’t keep doing it!” This type of spontaneity really helped to make the evening feel more unique, and at the request of someone in the crowd, the band made an unrehearsed attempt to perform “3 Is A Magic Number” which unfortunately fell apart.

The band have plenty of big anthems and choruses at their disposal, which really enhanced the set-list as it progressed, “Gravity”, “Ashes”, “All You Good Good People” are all big crowd pleasers, and then even more-so was “Come Back To What You Know”, for which the live crowd could almost be credited for taking the lead vocals! Then much to my surprise, as the main set was coming to an end, the band performed on of my absolute favourites that I wasn’t expecting, which was “That’s All Changed Forever”.

The main set concluded with the closing track from the latest album – “Thief On My Island”, which certainly has an element of finality about it, with its closing 2 minutes of distortion blasting (accompanied by a light-display to match). The band then re-emerged for the encore: “Quarters” (for which everyone was told to get up and dance), “One Big Family” and then finally the classic “The Good Will Out” with an extended vocal refrain at the end.


There were some mis-steps throughout the evening – perhaps the band are still a little rusty after such a lengthy hiatus – but the tried-and-tested big hits sounded much more assured, as I’m sure the newer material will gradually become. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a touch disappointed at times, but that’s mainly because I’m a big fan of the band and this was my first time seeing them live. Overall I still enjoyed my evening, I got a great new T-Shirt and can now add Embrace to the list of bands I’ve seen live. Also, Danny assured everyone that the band won't leave it eight years next time, which is an encouraging sign!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Game of Thrones - Season Four: The Laws of Gods and Men

The land of Braavos has been mentioned fairly frequently throughout the series – there have been characters such as Syrio Forel and Jaqen H’Ghar who have come from Braavos – and during more recent seasons the Iron Bank of Braavos has also come into mention. The ever-changing opening credits scene revealed that we would finally be visiting Braavos – there was a very nice shot of the Titan of Braavos as the ship arrived – and the Iron Bank in this week’s episode. And that’s how things begin, with Stannis finally away from Dragonstone, appealing for the support of the Iron Bank.

Mark Gatiss played the head banker Tycho Nestoris and it required very little effort to point out how weak Stannis’ current cause is, regardless of the strength of his claim. He has a tiny army, a small fleet of ships, and Dragonstone has very little value as far as produce is concerned. However, Davos is able to sway the tide in Stannis’ favour, arguing that once Tywin dies the Lannisters will be a much weaker household, and then showing the four stumps where his fingers used to be as proof that Stannis is a man who delivers on his promises. All of a sudden Stannis’ cause does not look quite so weak (there’s also the blood magic to consider – of the Five Kings from the war, now only Stannis and Balon Greyjoy remain). I was very pleased to see Davos get a decent speech in this episode, and Liam Cunningham continues to do an excellent job in the role.

Meanwhile back in Westeros, further north Yara Greyjoy arrives at the Dreadfort with her posse, armed to the teeth and ready to rescue Theon. To begin with the rescue mission appears to be going well, as they kill several Bolton men and locate Theon in the kennels, but something that Yara didn’t consider was the state that Theon would be in when she found him. Theon has been so damaged by Ramsay’s torture that he refused to be rescued – or to even acknowledge his true identity, he’s truly become Reek now – for fear of angering Ramsay and being tortured even more. There is a face-off between the Greyjoy fighters and the Bolton men, but it doesn’t last long – and Yara decides to flee once Ramsay unleashes the hounds. Obviously the fact that Theon refused to be rescued is a significant factor into why this rescue mission failed, but this outcome does make the Greyjoys look rather weak.

Theon/Reek’s subservience to Ramsay was then solidified even further in a very uncomfortable scene in which Ramsay offered him a bath as a reward for his loyalty. Ramsay then told Reek that he’ll need his help recapturing a castle, and to do this Reek is going to hav to pretend to be someone he’s not: Theon Greyjoy. I’m very interested to see where this little psychological mind-game is leading.

The viewers are granted a good long look at one of the dragons – who are very big now – as Drogon attacks an unsuspecting flock of goats. This becomes a problem for Daenerys who is now ruling Meereen as Queen. She is able to pay the goatherd for his losses, but her lack of control over the dragons will likely continue to be a problem. She is then approached by a Meereenese nobleman named Hizdahr zo Loraq, who calls her out on the crucifixions she ordered. He wishes to uphold the traditions of Meereen, and grant them all burial – one of whom was his father. During this scene there is a strategic shot of Ser Barristan over Dany’s shoulder (all of a sudden the appeal for ‘Mercy’ doesn’t seem so foolish). She is finally encountering some problems after things had been going so smoothly for so long – and with a whole city to rule, it’s not likely to get any easier any time soon.

After this the remaining episode was spent in King’s Landing, mostly for Tyrion’s trial, although there was also a Small Council meeting – with a greatly altered Small Council that now includes Mace Tyrell and Prince Oberyn. Varys hasn’t featured in this season very much, so it was nice to see him get a bit more of his enigmatic dialogue (an un-seducible man, who serves the realm). I was also pleased to hear Tywin finally address Ser Barristan’s dismissal from the Kingsguard (although it’s about three years too late, it did at least occur).

The trial scene served to prove just how serious Tyrion’s situation is, and the stakes are even higher than his previous trial in the Eerie. The trial commences with the boy-king Tommen excusing himself from the trial, a clever move from Tywin, as Tommen is very fond of his uncle and it wouldn’t do to have any supporters for the accused. This also results in Tywin sitting on the Iron Throne – which is a very strong image. Time is given to a variety of characters who are all more than willing to testify against Tyrion, including Meryn Trant, Grand Maester Pycelle, Varys and of course his sister Cersei. Pycelle’s story about Tyrion plundering his stores is complete bullshit, but Varys, Meryn and Cersei’s stories are for the most part true, although tailored to suit the situation and strategically ignoring certain details.

Jaime approaches Tywin and states that the trial is a complete farce – which it is – but then the ultimate goal becomes clear. Jaime will leave the Kingsguard and go to Casterly Rock to continue the Lannister bloodline, while Tyrion will plead guilty and be sent to join the Night’s Watch. Tywin has masterminded this whole situation brilliantly, but then Tyrion changes everything with his ‘confession’.

Jaime tells Tyrion of Tywin’s true intentions, and that the best thing for him to do is to keep his mouth shut. But then Shae is brought out as the next witness, and she betrays Tyrion, telling the courtroom everything they want to hear, even though it’s clearly a lie. This proves too much for Tyrion, and what follows is one of Peter Dinklage’s greatest moments on the show (to go alongside about fifty others!) He confesses that his true crime is being a dwarf, something that his father his always held against him. He goes on to say that he didn’t kill Joffrey, but he wishes that he had – and that he regrets saving the city from Stannis’ assault, as they were more than happy to ignore his efforts and turn against him. He then locks eyes with his father and – much like in his previous trial – demands a trial by combat. There is then some brilliant cinematography of Tyrion and Tywin’s faces in response to this, before the credits roll.


This episode chose to focus on just a small number of storylines, there was nothing at the Eerie, or with the Wildlings, or at the Wall or beyond. The tighter focus worked well, and allowed for the trial to have a big impact, and the absent storylines will leave fans wanting more, which they will get soon enough. Another very strong episode, which was rounded off with stellar performances from Peter Dinklage and Charles Dance. Now, who will be selected to fight for either side…?

Monday, May 5, 2014

Game of Thrones - Season Four: First Of His Name

For the most part a much more slow-paced episode, which provided further exposition and solidified the changes in direction (or new settings) for certain characters. Events from the show’s past were re-visited for the first time in since they occurred. And then, to thank viewers for their patience we got a very gratifying finale, which rectified some of the uneasy viewing of last week – and got a lot of the characters right back where they need to be. And most importantly, Hodor finally got in on the glory!

The episode began with the coronation of Tommen Baratheon, the gentle-minded younger brother of Joffrey. The courtroom erupted into loud applause as he was pronounced King, which is probably very different to the atmosphere when Joffrey was crowned. The main purpose of this scene though, was to show the relationship between Cersei and Margery, both of whom have strong connections with the boy-King. Their conversation was very slowly paced, with deliberate phrasing from both characters, creating the impression that they have decided to make peace. Considering all that we know about these characters I highly doubt that either of them are being genuine, and this scene will be an interesting one to re-watch and analyse once the story has progressed a little further.

Cersei also shared a scene with Oberyn, another enemy, where she gave a rare show of vulnerability. In spite of all that she has done to get herself into a position of power, she has been ultimately powerless to help her children: Joffrey died at his own wedding (a crime for which Cersei refuses to hear any argument other than that Tyrion did it) and her daughter Myrcella is far away in Dorne. Oberyn seemed genuinely surprised that Cersei made no threats, and instead asked for a message to be sent to her daughter at Dorne.

With the war – effectively – over, and a new King on the throne, the most powerful house in Westeros have a cause to let their petty disputes slide. Tywin revealed that the crown owes a significant debt to the Iron Bank of Braavos, and so it would be for the best if the Lannisters and the Tyrells remain on the same side. Now that the tyrannical Joffrey is gone, it will be much easier to keep the rest of the country unified.

Indeed, across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys contemplates an attack on King’s Landing – especially given the chaotic state of the realm in the aftermath of a royal death – but then learns that the cities she has liberated have since fallen under tyranny after her departure. Her claim to the Iron Throne will not feel justified if she is unable to rule. So she resolves to remain in Meereen, and rule the city. This may annoy viewers of the show, as the majority of Dany’s journey thus-far has been to reclaim the Iron Throne, so to have her supposedly abandon that conquest is questionable – and yet as far as her character is concerned it makes sense. She has proven her abilities as a conqueror, but has never truly ruled over people.

Sansa arrived at the Eerie – a place we’ve not seen since Tyrion’s last trial – under the protection of Littlefinger, and the master-manipulator used the impenetrable fortress as a metaphor for his own accomplishments; if he makes the most effective and tactical use of his resources “one man can be worth ten-thousand”. Sansa was then introduced to her Aunt Lysa, and her cousin Robin. Lysa appeared pleased to see Sansa at first, but very quickly revealed a dislike for her – brought about by a lifetime of resentment of her older sister Catelyn. It seems that poor Sansa is unlikely to find any sort of happiness – she finally escapes from King’s Landing, only to find herself at the Eerie with her bitter Aunt Lysa.

In a private moment between Lysa and Littlefinger, she revealed that under his orders it was in fact she who poisoned Jon Arryn, and wrote to Catelyn that the Lannister’s were to blame. This is a pretty huge deal, as devotees will remember that these were events that occurred right at the start of the series (episode one of season one) and eventually sparked off a war. Littlefinger truly is a dangerous man, knowing how to manipulate people and pray upon their weaknesses, all for personal gain. Knowledge is power indeed. However, he was clearly not as thrilled about marrying Lysa, as she was about marrying him.

Arya now has a longer list of names than ever before – not yet aware that she can remove Joffrey from it – and it’s a shame that she feels the need to add Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr to the list. When she said she had just one more name to say, it was clear it was going to be The Hound. The following morning she returned to practicing the Water Dance that she learned from Syrio Forel. The Hound sneered at this technique, and was given even further cause for scorn when Arya revealed that Syrio was killed by Ser Meryn of the Kingsguard (supposedly – we never saw it happen). Bronn remarked in last week’s episode “do you want to fight pretty, or do you want to win?” and it seems that The Hound shares that view. Syrio was a great swordsman, but since his opponent had full armour and a “big fucking sword” it made no difference in the end.

Someone who can boast killing a Kingsguard Knight is Podrick, who spent a long time proving his ineptitude as a squire (incapable of riding a horse, or skinning a rabbit) but was able to earn Brienne’s respect when he revealed the main reason Tyrion held him in such esteem: having saved his life. It also seems that Brienne is heading for The Wall, as nobody (other than Littlefinger and Lysa) know where Sansa truly is.

And finally, the reason for the extended focus on the Night’s Watch deserters in last week’s episode was made clear – to give us more of a build for the fight, and a more satisfying payoff with the deaths of Karl, Rast and the other deserters. The fight between the Watch and the deserters was an interesting one as they were all dressed in black, making it hard to tell who was on whose side (unless they were established characters). I was very eager to see the face-off between Jon and Karl, but I was a little disappointed that Karl had the upper hand for the majority of the fight. All his bravado about his legendary status as a hired killer, had me hoping that Jon would put him in his place, but this wasn’t entirely the case. However, Karl found himself on the receiving end of one of the most gruesome deaths in the show’s history: taking a sword right through the back of the head, and out through his mouth (it was a little bit like a scene from The Walking Dead).

Locke’s involvement also became resolved, and served to ensure that Bran and Jon remained separate. Locke’s goal was to locate Bran and Rickon Stark (to his credit he actually did pretty well on this) but it was clear that his intentions weren’t good – he does serve Roose Bolton after all, the same man who put a knife through Robb Stark’s heart. Unfortunately for Locke he didn’t count on Bran’s abilities as a warg, or the simple-minded Hodor who Bran can control. Hodor is a gentle giant, who would never willingly hurt anyone, but under Bran’s control his strength was proven, as he snapped Locke’s neck with ease. I can already see the meme’s that will emerge from this: “I have an army; we have a Hodor!”

It would seem that none of the Stark children are ever going to be reunited, but they will always come agonisingly close. The alterations made from the books allowed for the sadness of Bran’s choice to really shine through, as he has to pursue his quest rather than reunite with his family.


This was a very strong episode, which brought things back on track after a couple of uneven episodes (don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of good moments in them too). We’re now halfway through the season, and we’re set to have some big events in the second half. The changes from the books maintain a sense of uncertainty about what’s to come, but everything they keep will be worth getting excited about.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Under Milk Wood - Theatre Review

Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood is a play that I will always have a great deal of fondness for, as it was – with the exception of school plays – the first proper play that I ever performed in once I decided that I wanted to be an actor. Over time it is a play that I have returned to again and again, I have a very nice edition of the play that I’ll occasionally read on a long train journey, and yet rather surprisingly I had never seen the play performed live. Consequently, when I learned several months ago that Under Milk Wood was to be performed at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter, I was very excited that I would finally get a chance to see it.

This production, performed by Clwyd Theatr Cymru marks both the 60th anniversary of the play’s first performance and also the centenary year of Dylan Thomas’ birth. Performed on a raised circular platform overlooked by a rounded three-dimensional small scale construction of the village of Llareggub, around which a sun slowly revolved, representing the passage of time over the course of the play’s twenty four hour structure. With the exception of the interval, the entire company remained onstage throughout, which really showcased the strength of the ensemble, as well as the individual performers’ ability to transition from one character into another. There was no need for props or costume changes, as each interpretation of character was clear and distinct.

Owen Teale played the First Voice, and truly does justice the beautiful poetic language of the play – making sure that not a single word is wasted. He held the audiences’ collective attention with a slow delivery of the play’s opening speech, which goes uninterrupted for a long time before any other voices are heard. Teale also characterised the omniscient narrator with a sense of earthiness which was nicely juxtaposed by Christian Patterson’s Second Voice, who was much more bright and spirited in his delivery. The two worked off each other nicely as they moved freely about the stage, bringing scenes to life and offering little glimpses into the private lives (and innermost thoughts) of the townspeople. Owen Teale’s delivery frequently allowed the humour of the writing to shine through in a more understated manner than the much more heightened performances of the rest of the company.

Every performer was given moments to really shine, especially from a comedic standpoint. Due to the nature of the play and the sheer number of characters this often meant that there was a lot of exaggerated movements, excessive mugging and over pronounced delivery, but for the most part it all worked (after all, during its early stages the play was called The Town That Was Mad). There were a few occasions when I disagreed with some of the choices, such as Katie Elin-Salt’s elongated – and loud – vocal delivery as Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, and Simon Nehan’s boggle-eyed doddering old Rev Eli Jenkins (seeming less like a gentle elderly preacher, and more like a trouser-fiddling old lech). But these were counter-balanced by those same actor’s interpretations of other characters, such as Elin-Salt’s beautifully mournful singing as Polly Garter, and Nehan’s jokey Butcher Beynon. Amongst many other enjoyable characters there was Sophie Melville’s ice-cold Mrs Pugh, Kai Owen’s jolly drunkard Cherry Owen, and Steven Meo’s moody Nogood Boyo, to name but a few. Meo’s exaggerated performance as Ocky Milkman even drove Owe Teale’s stoic First Voice to crease-up with laughter on no less than three separate occasions (fortunately this only added to the overall vibe of the piece, and the audience responded to this warmly).

The humour of the play came across frequently, but there were also a couple of moments of genuine poignancy – in particular the scene between old blind Captain Cat, and his long lost sea-love Rosie Probert, which fittingly occurred toward’s the play’s conclusion, by which time the lighting had faded right down, and the lights had come on in the little windows of the set model of the town. Ifan Huw Dafydd’s mournful cries of “come back, come back” as Rosie fades away, were genuinely touching.  


This was a very enjoyable performance of one of my favourite plays, and even though there were certain aspects that I wasn’t as keen on, they only made up a small part of what was overall a highly entertaining production, and a very fulfilling night out.