The Revlon Girl
Park Theatre
19th Sept to 14th Oct 2017
“The Revlon Girl is a poignant, heart-breaking and tender new play which explores a terrible episode in Welsh history and tells a story of amazing courage, hope and humour.
Set eight months following the death of 116 children during the Aberfan Disaster of 1966, The Revlon Girl tells the real life story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every week above a local hotel to talk, cry and even laugh without feeling guilty.
At one of their meetings, the women confided how much they felt they’d forgotten about themselves but were too afraid of being judged frivolous to do anything about it. So together they arranged – secretly – for a representative from Revlon to come along one night and give them all a talk on beauty tips.”
Review by the Decadent Designer
The tragedy that befell Aberfan in 1966 and left heartbroken by the horrific event that left 116 childless mothers to grieve is a story that should be told.
From entering the theatre you’ll notice an alarming dripping coming from a black box in the rig, this was one of the special effects designed by Dan Travers used beautifully to simulate a leaking skylight. This effect worked amazingly well and added buckets to the show (quite literally).
Eleri Loyd’s set design is dark, metallic and with a towering nature. It initially feels at odds with the rest of the set pieces and 60’s costume items. However as the play progressed and we learned of the hideous event that engulfed a school the Set design start to make sense. The set looming married perfectly with the mothers’ worries of a second mountain slip and artistically represented the black mountain tops which threaten the Welsh mining village.
Chris Barrett’s lighting design was consistent throughout. In a naturalistic play such as this there was little room for bold lighting choices but Chris Barrett’s subtlety was perfect and read very well from the audience. Offering nice breakups and colours subtly here and there.
The acting definitely deserves a mention as it really affected me – I found myself crying buckets at the climax of the play. This is a truly stellar cast who’s precision in detailed characterisation was heartbreaking. Standout performances from the whole cast but Charlotte Gray (Sian), Antonia Kinlay (Revlon) and Michelle McTernan (Marilyn) were transfixing and impossible not to watch. Michelle McTernan’s deeply affected and withered Marilyn was both beautiful and soul destroying. Flawless acting.
Great show, would thoroughly recommend.
Review by
The Decadent Designer
@DDReviewsUK
Creatives:
Writer: Neil Anthony Docking
Director: Maxine Evans
Set Designer: Eleri Lloyd
Lighting Designer: Chris Barrett
Technical Effects: Dan Travers
Cast:
Charlotte Gray: Sian
Antonia Kinlay: Revlon
Michelle McTernan: Marilyn
Bethan Thomas: Rona
Zoë Harrison : Jean
The Revlon Girl
Venue: Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
Dates: 19 Sep – 14 Oct 2017
Press night: Wednesday 20 September
Running Time: 90 minutes
Performances: Tue – Sat Evenings 7.45pm, Thu & Sat Matinees 3.15pm
Parents & Babies: Wed 4 Oct 13.00 £15
Prices: £14.50 Previews / £18 Full / £16.50 Concessions/ £13 Child/ £10 Young Patrons
Booking: www.parktheatre.co.uk / 020 7870 6876
*10% telephone booking fee, capped at £2.50 per ticket.
Park Theatre
Park Theatre is fast becoming recognised as a powerhouse of theatre; in four years, it has enjoyed three West End transfers (including Daytona starring Maureen Lipman and The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss), two National Theatre transfers, ten national tours, an Olivier Award nomination and a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage.