Wales Arts Review Weekly Update (01/04/2023)
"In travelling the border, I was much clearer of which side I belonged, there was no question of that."
Mike Parker in Conversation with Gary Raymond
Mike Parker’s new book, All the Wide Border, is both a travelogue of a walk along the borderlands of England and Wales and a deep cultural history of this unique and fascinating place and its people. Gary Raymond caught up with him to discuss the writing process, the books that formed the foundations for it, and the politics it unearthed.
“The sense that the old Wales is a community of communities, which is a soft, like a Methodistic socialism almost – it’s absolutely in the water. We have to fight for that a bit right now, because it’s under attack, yet again.”
Top Picks
Caitlyn Flood Molyneux: Suspended in Time
Leo Sartain explores the work of Welsh artist Caitlin Flood Molyneux, ahead of her first solo exhibition, Suspended in Time, at the Fitzrovia Gallery this April.
Read the full piece here.
Welsh Language Musical to Bring Branwen to Life
Wales Millennium Centre and Frân Wen have announced that they’re joining forces to produce a brand-new Welsh-language dramatic musical, Branwen: Dadeni.
Read the full review, here.
Top Reviews
Bryn Terfel at the Royal Festival Hall | Review
David Truslove discovers that Sir Bryn Terfel can still pack a punch in Wagner, performing with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.
Read the full review here.
With Sir Ian McKellen in town to lead a lively cast in pantomime favourite, Mother Goose, James Davies reflects on whether a March pantomime with a contemporary twist can really hit the spot.
Read the full review here.
Video of the Week: ‘Demystifying Acquisitions’ at the National Museum Wales
This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. Today we’re featuring the ‘Demystifying Acquisitions’ project at the National Museum Wales.
In case you missed it…
Joseph K and the Cost of Living: National Theatre Wales
Mark Blayney shines a light on National Theatre Wales' latest production, Joseph K and the Cost of Living, the drama which lies at the the centre of a three-part experience in Swansea Grand Theatre which claims to take a two-fingered swipe at the cost of living crisis.
“Emily White’s adaptation of Kafka’s novel The Trial is nimble and has considerable contemporary resonance, its lines ‘everyone must have their say and truth is a relative concept’ echoing round the building on the very day Boris Johnson swears on the Bible that he did not lie to Parliament.”