Review: Performances for the Curious – Drudwen
Today we headed to Wales Millennium Centre for their afternoon performance of Drudwen, part of their Performances for the Curious. Read on to find out more about the story and our thoughts…
Review: Performances for the Curious – Drudwen
One day Drudwen finds two children in the forest, but despite her efforts to raise them as wholesome and kind individuals, they turn on her and this leads to fatal consequences. Years later, a young girl arrives at the castle to woo the evil prince, but instead of devouring her, the brother and sister duo fight as the prince falls in love with the girl. Soon things spiral out of control, but can the girl save the forest and the memory of Drudwen?
We found our seats in the Weston Studio (no allocated seating) and waited for Drudwen to begin. The stage had ropes, climbing frames and other bits and bobs to bring the story to life.
I loved watching the performers work on the various apparatus, illustrating various elements and vibes throughout the story. As for the story itself, we all felt the first act was extremely interesting, gruesome and hooking. The second half felt a little flat compared though…
The story is very interesting and quite dark, with cannibalism and murder running throughout. There were some clever ideas and use of costume/props, and we all loved the skin peeling scene (I told you – gruesome!).
I think the gruesome elements really stood out for us all, as well as the circus elements that flowed throughout. The performers were really well rehearsed, and made it all look completely effortless.
When it came to language, the mixture of English and Welsh felt somewhat confusing for us. We don’t speak Welsh, and sometimes it felt as though there was more Welsh being spoken throughout… I do think bilingual performances are pretty wonderful, and you can follow without understanding the language thanks to the movement and interaction of the cast.
We enjoyed the performance, and we had lots to discuss afterwards – always a good thing!
Performances for the Curious continues to surprise and impress us, so book in now for something new and unusual!
