There’s something for all tastes in this quickfire double-page guide to what’s popping up on stages in Wales this October and November – AKA the autumn season. Drama, standup, musicals, monologues, family-friendly, adults-only… let Julia Bottoms be your guide.
Iphigenia Yn Sblot
Gary Owen’s shattering modern classic returns to the Sherman Theatre stage this autumn in Wales with Alice Eklund’s dynamic new production. Performed in Welsh with English captions, this one-woman drama is about the brutal impact of austerity on life in Wales, starring Seren Hamilton as protagonist Effie.
Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, Sat 31 Aug-Sat 7 Sept; touring Wales until Sat 28 Sept.
Tickets: £16-£20. Info: here
The Wild Tenant
Inspired by Anne Brontë’s The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall, Lucy Gough’s play delineates the story of a deteriorating marriage in visceral detail. The critically acclaimed playwright brings this darkly comic story of coercive addiction and domestic violence to Ceredigion.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Fri 5-Sat 7 Sept.
Tickets: £15. Info: here
Splat!
Performed by OftheJackel, this free, family-friendly outdoor performance is a physical comedy which follows two aspiring artists who hilariously antagonise each other in the course of exploring art history. Part of this week’s series of Deaf Gathering Cymru events at Chapter, the dialogue-free Splat! can be enjoyed by deaf and hearing people alike.
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Sun 8 Sept.
Admission: FREE. Info: here
An Enemy Of The People
Henrik Ibsen’s enduringly relevant realist classic about political hypocrisy, responsibility and vested interests follows Dr Stockmann in his pursuit of truth and moral righteousness upon discovering that his local public baths are polluted.
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, Tue 10-Fri 13 Sept.
Tickets: £18. Info: here
Floella Benjamin’s Coming To England
David Wood adapts Floella Benjamin’s autobiographical novel Coming To England into a vibrant, family-friendly musical for theatre across the UK this autumn. Based on the immigrant experience of the Windrush generation, the musical follows Floella’s journey leaving Trinidad, sailing alone to join her parents in 1960s London.
Grand Theatre, Swansea, Fri 13 Sept.
Tickets: £23-£27. Info: here
H.M.S Pinafore
This timeless nautical tale of love across classes and seafaring duty adapts Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera into a saucy modern cabaret, brimming with comic tension, catchy tunes and sharp satire.
Boulevard Theatre, Milford Haven, Thurs 19-Sat 21 Sept.
Tickets: £12.50. Info: here
Sweeney Todd: A Musical Thriller
Meat pies, a close shave and a chilling gothic tale. Sondheim soundtracks a demonic barber’s murderous spree in Victorian London as this macabre tale is presented by The Stage 8 Group.
Gywn Hall, Neath, Tue 24-Sat 28 Sept.
Tickets: £16. Info: here
The Duke
Having previously staged this one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe for free (with donations going to Save The Children), Welsh storyteller Shon Dale-Jones’ thought-provoking production asks us to reassess the value of money amidst the backdrop of a global refugee crisis on stages across Wales this autumn.
Theatr Clwyd, Mold, Wed 25 Sept; touring the UK until Tue 19 Nov.
Tickets: £10. Info: here
Dai Watkins And The Blancmange Of Nothingness
Set amongst the backdrop of a municipal allotment, this gardening-based comedy from local playwright Julia Lewis follows Dai Watkins’ hilarious journey through retirement, cults and environmentalism, presented by Adhoc @ Tyleri.
The Met, Abertillery, Thurs 26 Sept.
Tickets: £9. Info: here
The Three Musketeers
Black RAT’s production of Alexandre Dumas’ swashbuckling 17th-century adventure is touring across stages in Wales from September to November this year. Expect thrilling duels, daring escapades and mistaken identities from this production that promises “all for fun and fun for all!”
Miners Institute, Blackwood, Thurs 26-Sat 28 Sept; touring Wales until Sat 2 Nov
Tickets: £15/£13. Info: here
Elvis: The Rhondda Years
Memphis Elvis Evans and his family insist they are by far the best Elvis Tribute Act in South Wales. However, disaster strikes as the group face rebellion, jealousy and a Greggs-induced reckoning just a day before Porthcawl’s Elvis Festival!
The Met, Abertillery, Fri 27 Sept.
Tickets: £15. Info: here
Larry Dean: Dodger
Gallus Glaswegian goon Larry Dean will leave you in stitches. The touring show from the thrice Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated comedian discusses his 98-year-old beloved nanny, his partner, and the ups and downs of his autism diagnosis.
Theatr Hafren, Newtown, Sat 28 Sept.
Tickets: £19. Info: here
Aran Agus Im
An opportunity for some truly delicious audience participation, Aran Agus Im is an intimate event is a theatrical performance in which Manchan Magan bakes sourdough bread while offering insights into the Irish language, land and local food.
Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan, Thurs 3 Oct.
Tickets: £15. Info: here
Comedy at New Theatre
Sandi Toksvig celebrates the publication of her new novel with Friends Of Dorothy (Fri 4 Oct, tickets: £41.50. Info: here); Ed Gamble serves up some culinary comedy with Hot Diggity Dog (Sun 6 Oct, tickets: £30. Info: here); and an erudite, homeschooled 1930s throwback Troy Hawke returns with his show The Greeters Guild (Fri 25 Oct, tickets: £24, Info: here).
The Welsh Dragon
How do you know if someone is Welsh? Suitable for children between seven and 13, Theatr Iolo’s The Welsh Dragon boldly explores Britain’s Black ancestry, ethnicities and identities, using music and rap to bring a historical twist to this well-known myth.
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Mon 7-Wed 9 Oct.
Tickets: £12. Info: here
Rebus: A Game Called Malice
A murder mystery game, arranged to conclude a splendid dinner party in an Edinburgh mansion hurtles towards real-life danger and chaos. Gray O’Brien stars as Inspector John Rebus in A Game Called Malice, adapted from the books of A-list mystery novelist Ian Rankin.
New Theatre, Cardiff, Mon 7-Sat 12 Oct.
Tickets: £24-£44. Info: here
The Rest Is Politics
Chart-topping podcast The Rest Is Politics embarks across the UK with The Election Tour, their biggest live tour to date, including Cardiff’s Utilita Arena. Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart join forces from across the political divide to lift the lid on Westminster’s insider secrets.
Utilita Arena Cardiff, Mon 14 Oct.
Tickets: £43.65. Info: here
A Warning To The Curious: Two Ghost Stories By M R James
Lit only by candles, this one-man show showcases two of M R James’ most poignant and haunting works, A Warning To The Curious and Lost Hearts. Written over 120 years ago, this pair of enduringly menacing tales will petrify you to the core.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Fri 18 Oct.
Tickets: £8-£12. Info: here
Pum Diwrnod O Ryddid
This new production of Pum Diwrnod O Ryddid (Five Days Of Freedom) is based on the 1839 Chartist Outbreak in Llanidloes, a movement of politicised working-class radicals who sought the right to vote for all men and improve work conditions.
Theatr Hafren, Newtown, Sat 19 Oct.
Tickets: sold out. Info: here
Brogs Y Bogs
There’s something strange in the amphibian plumbing unit. This family-friendly Welsh language performance follows a band of superhero frog plumbers on the run from the gungy government, wanted for a contamination crime they didn’t commit.
Galeri, Caernarfon, Tue 29 Oct.
Tickets: £8. Info: here
words JULIA BOTTOMS
