Theatr Clwyd,Yr Wyddgrug/Mold – Saturday 14th September 2024
Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
Theatr Clwyd is on course to change it’s whole future, the massive refurbishment is slowly taking place brick by brick and has led to utilising differing theatre setups, mostly under canvas which quite often gives us a festival feel; more relaxed and intimate shows.
Last year I went along to watch a performance of a young man following a successful Edinburgh Fringe; well I laughed, I also felt this man reads people, knows them, watches them and that story well I listened, actually felt like I was there. This year The Mix has departed the hillside outside and instead the chairs are lined up in the bar area (which is also under canvas) I blinked shaking my head no I was not attending a wedding. I didn’t hesitate to attend Part 3 of what feels like James Rowlands Friendship trilogy, this man is a modern day bard; he uses his skills perfectly, fabulous story teller, combining music, words and his knowledge of people.
I nudged my husband as James does what James does, begins before his actual performance time, bimbling into the room looking like a stage assistant; I’m convinced he is actually checking out his audience, are we distracted,nervously glancing around or at phones? He engages people with a simple act a smile keeping up eye contact; he is a man full of confidence but content with a simple way of just being. He leaves again presumably to get changed out of stage assistant gear.
The lights dim and swing a little as the wind whips up outside, but this ambience is perfect a minor distraction but I’m warm inside and as comfortable as if I’m sat in a pub with friends. When James appears there’s sniggering,it’s not a surprise I’ve seen the publicity shots but I giggle as he strolls onto the stage in hospital gown and we all know hospital gowns gape in the rear (I wont spoil things but the seam of those flesh tights ran somewhere it shouldn’t) . He chats easing into things, sensing how we are, will we interact, how many of us have been to a show of his before, mine were not the only hands to proudly show I’m a fan. He draws our attention to the clock sat on the table, set at 70.00. He tells us it’s the countdown to the end, he pushes the button and you turn your attention back to James.
Tonights story once again takes us back into childhood, stories of Robin Hood images of Disney foxes and ladybird books fill my head followed by swashbuckling heroes with curved moustaches and sword fights (my head screams please don’t play a certain song when arrows split in 2 thankfully I hope only I heard brief notes of Everything I Do.) Wearing a hospital gown allows us the audience to think, hospital, operation, something is wrong, worry, dread and fear usually follow. For James I’m sure it’s so that he can set up a dance scene between Robin Hood and Maid Marian whom James believes were great childhood friends destined to be together.
The story then departs knocking us off-kilter tales of swimming in waterfalls, ripples in the water almost reflecting ripples in time; red kites fighting back from the edge of extinction and Voyager sending back a blue dot – earth billions of miles away, tiny spec within the universe. Voyager’s golden disc our very own ultimate mixed tape for the universe, Bach and Beethovan being favoured over others. Suddenly you realise how the stories including those no longer critically endagered red kites all interlink it’s love; the 2 scientists working on the golden disc project fell in love. I’m aware equally that James is glancing at the clock more often, I feel anxious as I see the clock moving at what feels a faster pace. My stomach churns as I realise time is getting closer to the end (please don’t die James) But wait; imagination, storytelling is often viewed with rose tinted glasses and here comes James with 6 minutes left on the clock to let us know how he loves life but let’s be realistic Robin Hood was part of the Crusades (Knights, Kings, Christianity) history tells us was a brutal era. Well those 2 scientists were in fact married destroying futures for 2 families. And then the finale Voyagers music is played loud, James encourages us to close our eyes for natures blackout, a reset and when we open our eyes James is gone, the clock at zero and our night is over.
We have 5 senses; what we see and hear more than often shapes our beliefs and actions. Quite often there is another side to the coin and James wants us to open our eyes and see, I pick up my glass and raise a toast to the bard of the fringe and sincerely hope that there is more to come.