This is Cardiff calling with what sounds like a ‘douze point’ – or should we say ‘deuddeg point’ – winner of a show: Cân I Gymru meets Eurovision, live at Wales Millennium Centre’s Weston Studio. Described as a “love letter to the land of song,” Anthem is the latest piece of new writing to be produced by WMC following their hugely successful and poignant production of The Boy With Two Hearts, which we loved last October.
Written by Pembrokeshire’s Llinos Mai, who shot to fame with her hilarious stage show The Harri Parris, Anthem promises wind machines, key changes and finalists from every corner of Wales getting ready to battle in the nation’s biggest TV singing competition.
Performed in Welsh and suitable for Welsh learners and fluent Welsh speakers alike, there will be two performances with additional English-language captions for non-Welsh speakers. It’s great to see our flagship producing and presenting theatre company in Wales take on a piece in our native tongue – and where the tongue will firmly be in its cheek. Llinos Mai says of the production: “Anthem is a show full of comedy, songs and a love of Welsh culture and music. Quite simply, I’ve created the kind of show I’d love to see in the theatre. It’s going to be a fun evening and we all deserve that at the moment.”
“There will be many elements coming together to create this show,” director Alice Eklund told us. “Original songs and script, film and digital all work together with the traditional elements of theatre for a shiny and flashy twist! It’s a great opportunity to show how important Welsh voices are and not to underestimate the calibre of the Welsh scene. It promises to be a night to remember.”
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Weds 30 Mar-Sun 10 Apr. Tickets: £12-£15. Info: here
words JAMIE REES
