TRIPTYCH | STAGE REVIEW
Wales Millennium Centre, Chapter Arts Centre + Portland House, Cardiff, Thurs 9 July
We’ve all heard or read about the horrors of war and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but most of us simply view from afar and it can be a case of ‘you had to be there’. Triptych brings PTSD and its affect on sufferers and their families, right up close and personal so the observer becomes part of the narrative. Triptych – a performance in three parts – is not light entertainment.
Triptych I – a trio of videotaped talking heads – gives the accounts of veterans, mothers, wives and partners affected by PTSD. Through these personal stories we get to understand the emotional reality of living with the aftermath of war. These short films set the stage for Triptych II – a fictional tale that focuses on one family’s attempt to cope with the effects of conflict.
Written by Gwyneth Glyn and Judith Roberts, this ninety minute play is performed in Welsh and English – often swapping languages mid-sentence. This bilingual dialogue somewhat diffused the play’s intensity, but at times I was grateful for this. Captivating performances all round from the eight-man cast, which includes Gareth ap Watkin as the disturbed soldier, but Rhys Parry Jones gave a particularly powerful performance as the angry father, as did Rebecca Harries as the heart-broken mother.
Triptych III – a dance for two males – is a truly stunning, yet harrowing, piece. Gwyn Emberton (who arranged the choreography) and Albert Garcia illustrate with every graceful movement the pain, suffering and death (physical or mental) experienced by those involved in combat. A profound ending to an intense evening.
The ghosts of war are a constant throughout these three pieces and show that the bloodshed may be over but the battle is still being fought.
words LYNDA NASH
Triptych I, Chapter Arts Centre + Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Thurs 2- Sat 11 July;
Triptych II + III, Portland House + Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Thurs 2- Sat 11 July;
Triptych I, II + III, Galeri, Caernarvon, Tues 14-Thurs 16 July; Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli, Mon 20-Wed 22 July; Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, Wed 29 + Thurs 30 July.
Tickets: £14-£16 (Triptych II) / £18-£22 (Triptych II + III). Info: www.de-oscuro.com