6 Theatre


Ahead of the launch of Theatr Pena’s The Royal Bed, ANDYHOWELLS chats to director Erica Eirian


Play full of politics and love rivalry


THEATR Pena’s third co-pro- duction with The Riverfront in association with the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, is a classic Welsh story. The Royal Bed by Sion Eirian, an English language adaptation of Siwan by Saun- ders Lewis, will premiere at Newport Riverfront on Wednesday, February 11 and continue until the weekend, before touring to 18 other the- atres throughout Wales over the following weeks. The play was originally


Interview


commissioned by BBC Radio 4 in 1993. Theatr Pena’s 2015 touring production is The Royal Bed’s stage premier and a rare opportunity for theatre audiences in Wales to experi- ence the Welsh classic in Eng- lish. “It’s our first national tour,”


says director Erica Eirian. “The Riverfront is our co- producer and provides our re- hearsal space and lots of sup- port, so we open here for our usual Wednesday to Saturday six-performance run, includ- ing two matinee’s and then we go on tour for six weeks.” Theatr Pena was set up in


DIRECTOR: Erica Eirian Geraint Todd Photography


2008 driven by an uncom- promising determination to stage revivals of some the world’s best classic plays and develops a commitment to creating opportunities for women in theatre. The Royal Bed follows other major productions by the company. “Ironically this is the first production that has men,” says Ms Eirian.“We are not exclusively women. We simply try to choose our ma- terial which gives opportuni-


ties. The central character in this is Siwan and it’s her story we follow.” Set around Easter 1230,


when an uneasy truce exists between a divided Wales and England and at the court of the charismatic prince of North Wales, a catastrophe is about to unfold and dreams of a united Wales will crumble. At the centre of the drama is Siwan, the illegitimate daugh- ter of King John and passion- ate, outspoken and politically astute wife of Llywelyn the Great. Set in Medieval Wales,


REHEARSAL: Eiry Thomas, Francois Pandolfo and Hannah O’ Leary “In this we have a young


the play tells the story of her adulterous affair with the young Marcher Lord, Gwilyn Brewys, and the terrible re- venge exacted by her enraged husband when he discovers the lovers in the royal bed. The consequences of which reverberate down the centu- ries to contemporary Wales. “The play is about the strug-


gle and the tension between personal desire and public po- litical duty,” says Ms Eirian who believes the aspects are central to much of Saunders Lewis’ work.


in co-production with the THE RIVERFRONT THE ROYAL BED By Sion Eirian


The future lies in her hands.... Easter 1230 and an uneasytruce exists between a divided Wales and England. At the court of the charismatic Prince of North Wales, acatastrophe is about to unfold and dreams of aunited Wales will crumble.


11-14 February.


Musical adaptation of hit ilm comes to the stage


MICHAEL Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that Thea Sharrock’s hit produc- tion of the West End musical The Bodyguard will play at The Bris- tol Hippodrome from Wednesday, January 13 running until Satur- day, January 30 2016. Tickets on sale from Monday, February 2 2015.


Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s


1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. film, The Bodyguard has a book by Alex Dinelaris and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End in December 2012, where it continues to play to packed houses and standing ova- tions. It was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards includ- ing Best New Musical and Best Set Design. Former Secret Service agent


To booktickets visit


www.newport.gov.uk/theriverfront or call


01633 656757


turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Ra- chel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, The Bodyguard features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional,


woman who has spent 20 years constricted by duty and responsibility as a wife and as a political and royal consort, who in the moment wants to taste passion and desire and so she gives into that with repercussions, but equally Llywelyn gives into rage.” The Royal Bed will feature


BAFTA Cymru award win- ner Eiry Thomas as Siwan, Hannah O’Leary as Alis, with Francois Pandolfo as Gwilym Brewis and Russell


Gomer as Llywelyn. The pro- duction also features live music from mezzo soprano Buddug Verona James and Celtic harp- ist Delyth Jenkins. The Royal Bed will run at New-


port Riverfront from Wednes- day, February 11 at 7.45pm with further presentations on Thurs- day, February 12 at 2.30pm and 7.45pm, Friday, February 13 at 7.45pm and Saturday, February 14 at 2.30pm and 7.45pm. Tickets: £12.50, concessions: £10.50, students: £6.50. Call 01633 656679 for details or got to theatrpena.co.uk.


Director re-imagines a stage masterpiece


WALES Millennium Centre is to present a new version of Man to Man in March, the first full in- house production under the new ar- tistic direction of Graeme Farrow. Translated and adapted by Alex- andra Wood from Manfred Karge’s masterpiece Jacke wie Hose, the production will re-imagine the one womanshowas a visceral and virtu- osic piece of physical theatre. After her husband dies, Ella Ger-


MUSICAL: The Bodyguard


One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, I’m Your Baby Tonight, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the great- est hit songs of all time – I Will Al- ways Love You. The Bodyguard is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian. Evening performances Monday – Saturday at 7.30 pm Matinees on Thursday & Saturday at 2.30 pm Call ATG Tickets: 0844 871 3012.


For groups 10+: 0844 871 3032. Visit atgtickets.com/bristol for details.


icke adopts his identity and con- tinues working his job as a crane operator in order to survive in Nazi Germany. Compromising her own identity for survival, Ella is plunged into a new masculine world of beer, schnapps and poker; a claustropho- bic existence dominated by the fear of discovery and the changing face of authority in a volatile twentieth century Germany. Reworking the original German masterpiece into an intimate and all-consuming piece of physical theatre, Man to Man confronts the horrors of World War Two from a unique and deeply personal per- spective. Written by up-and-coming young


playwright Alexandra Wood and starring Margaret Ann Bain as Ella, Man to Man is directed by Bruce Guthrie, (Associate Director forSam Mendes on his world tour of Richard III, director of Twelfth Night and Othello, for the Singapore Repertory Theatre), alongside a stellar crea- tive team including Scott Graham of leading physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. Manfred Karge’s original version


of the play, Jacke wie Hose, was first staged at the Schauspielhaus Bo- chum in 1982. It was first translated by Anthony Vivas and performed in the UK under the English title Man to Man, with Tilda Swinton playing the role of Ella Gericke. Man to Man is part of WOW Caerdydd, a festival celebrating, provoking and expressing female achievements, struggles and future challenges taking place in March 2015. Man to Man is at Wales Millenni-


um Centre Mar 20-27, (preview per- formance Mar 19). Tickets are £14, preview £9. For information and to book tickets, please visit wmc.org. uk or call the box office 029 2063 6464.


Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide Friday, February 6, 2015


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