Wife of Cyncoed

Credit: Mark Douet

CAST
Vivien Parry - Jayne

CREATIVE TEAM
Matt Hartley - Writer
Hannah Noone - Director 
April Dalton - Designer 
Katy Morison - Lighting Designer 
Sam Jones - Composer and Sound Designer 

I was met with an oddly silent room entering the theatre, which usually I have some umbridge with as I have wrote about before, but for this production and this huge set piece before you with the words ‘life begins now’ towering over you the silence and murmuring of a pre-show theatre crowd combined with the intimacy of the space it was one of the few times where it felt really appropriate as you took it all in.

To be totally honest I was a little blown away by it all. From the moment the stage whirred into life with a lovely little synchronized sound and lighting bump I knew I was in for a treat. 

Vivien Parry as Jayne is an absolute powerhouse. There’s no other way to put it really. The way she effortlessly commands the space is something really special to see. I had to delete a sentence I wrote here saying that you forget it’s only her on stage after a while due to the power of her storytelling, but that almost does her a disservice. I spent most of it so glad that I couldn't forget that it was just her on the stage as I was so taken in!

April Dalton’s design was nuanced and smooth with Katy Morison’s lighting design piercing through the curtains for a myriad of different scenes and tones which I really enjoyed. Sam Jones’ sound and composition was subtle and fun. Hannah Noone’s direction was really engaging and not for a moment did the show feel flat or static, which for a one person show I hope is received as the really high praise it’s intended as! All of this combined with Matt Hartley’s world building and witty writing, phwoar. Just a great ol’ team really.

Excellent theatre follows the one of the core principles of a magic trick, in that the audience is amazed by something because you put a massive amount of effort in for a seemingly small insignificant moment. Wife of Cyncoed teeters with this in it’s design and approach and gives us a few of these beautiful little moments but I felt there was room for a bit more excitement on this front, this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the show but a mix of wanting a little bit more and it running for just a touch too long stopped it from being a totally perfect show for me.  

What has stuck with me from watching this show is how the words ‘Life Begins Now’ that you can see pictured above were almost sarcastically present at the start, we see a woman who is surviving in middle class suburban life and getting by, and by the end of the show those words mean so much more. I thought that was really special. 

This being my first review I have been invited to review from the Sherman a little evil part of me wanted to have much more of a critical insight and profound thoughts so I could show off a bit, but alas it was just a bloody good show that I enjoyed a whole bunch and I basically have good things to say about it and think others need to see.

★★★★
Wife of Cyncoed is a rollercoaster blend of wit, charm, sex, and an absolute powerhouse of a performance. Bravo!