Miss it at your Peril

The Bankrupt Bride
Theatr na n’Og , Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea University , October 18, 2009

Something of a departure for Neath- based theatre company Theatr na n’og - a company more usually associated with Theatre In Education projects aimed at schools audiences - this quirky, offbeat musical comedy is an absolute cracker.

Written by Kath Chandler, directed by Geinor Styles and co-produced by Taliesin, the show revolves around Claire (Carys Gwilym), the owner of a bridal franchise in a department store. Claire’s business is floundering - indeed, she is a hair’s breadth away from bankruptcy - and she is surrounded by characters who make her life increasingly complicated: Ray (Lee Mengo), the security guard who clearly has a crush on her, Maureen (Vivien Parry), a manipulative and cynical colleague with a hidden agenda; Nicole (Erin Richards), a demanding customer who is something of a drama queen; and Mark (Howard Ellis), a mysterious stranger who becomes smitten by Claire’s charms.

This is a tremendously enjoyable piece of theatre, with great one-liners and lashings of cynical, post credit crunch humour: the songs - composed by Dyfan Jones, with lyrics by Jeremi Cockram - are witty and clever, and the set design shows great attention to detail.

I was fortunate enough to have attended the opening night performance, with attracted a capacity crowd and justifiably so.
Reviewed by: Graham Williams

Fine Performances in a Fresh Production

The Bankrupt Bride
Theatr na n’Og , Aberystwyth Arts Centre , October 20, 2009.

At first sight there could not be a greater contrast between Theatr na n’Og’s 2008 and 2009 productions. But beneath the surface difference between a new musical and a classic French story can be seen the continuity of the company’s underlying strengths.
It is a rare review that starts by making mention of the costume designer. But the work that Sian Jenkins has done for Vivien Parry’s Maureen Meek is so good it deserves a plaudit. In her starchy black suit, with her knotted brow and her crabby disdain Vivien Parry is unrecognisable from other appearances. It is a role seized with relish and played deliciously, and maliciously, for all it is worth.

The cast of five have an outstanding set in Max Jones’ design. He captures to perfection the ramshackle bottom floor dereliction that is a hallmark of the few independent department stores that remain. See the eye for detail in the old-fashioned folding lift door, the clunky first generation cordless phone and the pre-digital till.

Dramatically “the Bankrupt Bride” is somewhat undercharged. An audience needs a marker within ten or fifteen minutes of where a plot is going. That is absent and the motif of the first act climax would have benefited from an earlier introduction. The play ends in an ungainly manner with a couple of mini-scenes. The characterisation could do with more tone and shading. Howard Ellis has a soulful singing voice but as an acting part he has nothing to do.

The publicity talks of “a night of fantastic comedy writing.” That is not quite true. The tone of “the Bankrupt Bride” is more akin to the bitter-sweetness of the Bock and Harnick musical “She Loves Me.” But the publicity also says “performed by the best of Wales’s acting talent” which is dead on. The performance of Carys Gwilym, cowed and bowed, ironically dowdy in the midst of all the extravagant finery, is a masterly construction. Act two opens with a solo, sung beautifully, as she sits alone over her sewing machine.

Lee Mengo’s Ray has all the chirpy energy and stage vivacity to offset the part of Mark. Erin Richards, making her stage debut after work in other media, has obviously looked deeply into the images spread across the pages of “Hello.” Her Nicole has the pinch-eyed materialism, the display and the careless egotism of the WAG celebrity.

Dyfan Jones’ music is strongest on ballad-style songs. There are lovely lilting chords from his piano, underscored by smoky notes from Osian Roberts’ saxophone. If Geinor Styles’ production is not quite the twenty- four carat gem it might have been, it is still fresh and distinctive, a tribute to the WMC’s Incubator and a feast of accomplished acting. In Claire Carys Gwilym has a role to warm the heart as these Autumn nights turn cold.
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset.