Fluellen Theatre
THE CORN IS GREEN
CLAIRE NOVELLI
in
THE CORN IS GREEN
by
EMLYN WILLIAMS
with JAMES SCANNELL as Morgan Evans
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REVIEW IN THE SOUTH WALES EVENING POST:
The Swansea Grand is on a roll at the moment in terms of attracting audiences, and Fluellen Theatre Company`s latest production, directed by Peter Richards, is a wise choice indeed. Emlyn Williams` classic story of one man`s struggle to transcend his circumstances might be rooted in the past, but its message is as timely and relevant today as when it was first written.
The Corn Is Green is a story that has always struck a resounding chord with me, and while watching this 10-strong cast go through its paces, I was surprised to find myself remembering a lot of the dialogue from the two film versions and had seen and enjoyed. One might imagine that comparisons are inevitable, but nothing could be further from the truth. The quality of this production is such that each member of the cast breathes new life into familiar characters and makes them their own.
Claire Novelli gives a fabulous performance as the barbed but impassioned Miss Moffat whose arrival in a Welsh mining village puts the cat among the pigeons when she announces her intention to teach miners how to read and write. Her star pupil, Morgan Evans (sensitively played by James Scannell), is a truly gifted and intuitive writer and Miss Moffat becomes his mentor, guiding him towards a scholarship to Oxford.
Complications set in, however, when he falls for the charms of Cockney temptress Bessie Watty (played with relish by Hannah Mason), a character who provides many of the funniest lines in the play ("I`ve got scent on my `ands, would you like to smell `em?" "No, thankyou, Bessie. I can smell them from here").
This is a production in which there is not a single weak link. Standout performances incude George Andrews splendidly blustering Squire; Katherine Weare`s chirpy but droll Mrs Watty ("I never liked her" she says of her daughter Bessie. "When she was born, as soon as I saw her I said "No!"); Robert Hopkins` dourly religious John Goronwy Jones and Jayne Stillman`s well-meaning spinster Miss Ronberry, with sterling support from Rebecca Daniel, Sean Jones and Tom Drewson from Class Act Theatre School.
The message of the play is that anyone, from no matter how lowly their background, can find a voice and make their mark in the world if they find inspiration in something or someone that triggers their capacity to learn and flourish. those of us that have been fortunate to experience this ourselves will find much to appreciate in this beautifully staged version of a Welsh classic. Not to be missed.
Graham Williams
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GRAND THEATRE ARTS WING
Swansea
15th, 16th and 17th September 7.15pm
16th September 2.00pm
BOX OFFICE 01792 475715
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MORGANSTOWN HALL
Morganstown, Nr Cardiff
23rd September 7.30pm
BOX OFFICE
020 842561
020 843176
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