Review: The Invisible Woman at Wales Millennium Centre
*We received press tickets in exchange for this review
Last night Zoey and I had the pleasure of attending an intimate event at Wales Millennium Centre. The Invisible Woman by Ailsa Jenkins and starring Nicola Reynolds kicked off this season’s Performances for the Curious, and we’re going to share our thoughts…
Review: The Invisible Woman
Wales Millennium Centre is the hive of all things creative and curious, and we were so excited to attend the press night for The Invisible Woman. Alisa Jenkins gave a lovely welcome speech, full of heart and humour, and it led beautifully into the 1 hour long play.
The story follows Mari Fenkleman, and the performance flows a kind of stream-of-consciousness style. Mari tells us of her life, with snippets of her mother and father, with a focus on her ‘invisibility’ as a middle-aged woman.
A one woman performance is a lot of pressure, but Nicola Reynolds performed as Mari without a hitch. I loved her vibe on stage, she had this ability to draw you into her world, her story, her heartbreak.
It reminded me of all those middle-age stories, Shirley Valentine, Fried Green Tomatoes and more! The female character who thinks, ‘F*** this s***’ and embraces her inner strength to change the world and change her life.
I loved her passion on stage, as well as her comedic delivery. It was perfect, and it really drew me in. The focus on ‘invisibility’ is something I can already relate to, even at age 37. I feel it on a daily basis, and it can really sting. I loved the points made in regards to men, and how this doesn’t happen to them, because we do live in a male dominated world, and I thought it was so important to address this.
I giggled quite a bit as she talked about the movement she’d created with other invisible women. Searching the streets for ‘litterbugs’ and those bloomin’ annoying folk who never clean up after their dogs! Part of me still hopes this group really exists so I can join!
The Invisible Woman doesn’t just reach those who feel ‘invisible’ though. I felt quite drawn in to the other elements of the story, such as her relationship with her mother and father. There were elements of such heartbreak, and I can imagine anyone could relate…
The ending hit me hard, even though I had an idea where the story was going. I admit, I shed a tear, and I know for a fact I’m not alone…
Despite the sad ending, Mari ends it on a comical note, leaving the audience with a sense of warmth amongst the sadness of loss. This performance is intimate, honest, raw and sentimental, with just the right amount of humour.
Well done Ailsa Jenkins and Nicola Reynolds, now I’m off to see a man about a dog….
The Invisible Woman has completely sold out, but you can catch other amazing ‘curious’ performances at Wales Millennium Centre.
