Rape of the Fair Country (Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold)

Archive: This review was first published on February 20, 2013 by the Daily Post

Alexander Cordell's Rape of the Fair Country is the first in a trilogy of books about the South Walian ironmaking family, the Mortymers.

The book has been adapted for the Clwyd Theatr Cymru stage by Manon Eames, who has created a production aimed squarely at those interested in social history and human drama.

When I attended the press night I was told Rape of the Fair Country was an historical epic, with the emphasis very much on the historical. Which is true. But to be honest, it's also important to underline the fact this play is epic, because the first act amounts to a bum-numbing 90 minutes, and after an all too brief 15-minute interval, act two ploughs on for a further hour and a quarter. This play is not for the fidgety or weak of bladder, so be warned!

The play tells the story of Iestyn Mortymer, who begins the production at the age of eight and grows up as the piece wears on. Sion Ifan does a fantastic job of carrying the character from childhood to adulthood, managing to portray the passing of time using nothing but his acting skills and a whirlwind of energy. He's on stage for pretty much the entire show, and I can't credit his enthusiasm, talent and spirit in the role highly enough.

The story revolves around the iron-smelting community of Blaenavon in the 1820s and beyond, where an ever-widening rift between the workers leads to unrest and terrible consequences. The rise of the trades unions and the Chartist movement sees workforces split, some believing negotiation and industral action to stick up for their rights is the way forward; others - the minority, such as the Mortymers - continuing to believe the masters should be obeyed, primarily to keep food on the table.

Hywel, the brash but lovable head of the Mortymer family, played with warmth and strength by Simon Nehan, staunchly believes in siding with the masters, namely the wealthy English land owners who treat their workforce with little respect. His traditionalist values clash with the reformist stance of his sparky elder daughter Morfydd, played with spirited bravado by Hedydd Dylan.

Completing the Mortymer clan are Crisian Emanuel as mother Elianor, who gets a rousing speech in the second act which puts the fist-fighting men to shame, and Gwawr Loader as younger daughter Edwina, who sports hair as strident as the character Daenerys in HBO's Game of Thrones. Watch her, mind, because although Edwina is something of a shrinking violet, there's drama aplenty in act two...

As more and more of the workers follow the unionist path, the Mortymers are forced into terrible danger by the rise of what are called the Scotch Cattle (basically unionist heavies who visit physical attacks upon those who collaborate with the masters during strikes) and their very livelihoods are threatened by this shift in the way workers and employers interact.

It's all pretty heavy stuff, and if you're new to the social history of South Wales in the early Victorian era, it'll take a bit of getting into. Cordell's lyrical prose sounds stagey in the mouths of live actors, but it's beautifully evocative stuff and reminds one of Dylan Thomas or Richard Llewellyn.

The set design is outstanding. The sets are actually quite sparse, but are used with imagination and often utterly transformed by Nick Beadle's masterful lighting. I don't think anybody who sees the play could deny how impressive the furnace scenes are.

The fate of the Mortymer family is at the heart of this sometimes amusing, often heart-rending production, and by the end events take on a particularly unpleasant turn which will prompt a few damp eyes and froggy throats.

Rape of the Fair Country is an unashamedly patriotic play. It tells of a time when the Welsh working classes began to stand up for themselves, but which also led to tragic division within communities, often hateful violence and shocking repercussions.

This was real, this all actually happened, and that is sobering in itself, but it's up to the individual whether they find the final flag-waving scenes rousing or faintly nauseating. Judging by the standing ovations I witnessed, it seems they strike the right balance.

The stats

Writer: Alexander Cordell, adapted by Manon Eames

Director: Tim Baker

Cast: Hedydd Dylan (Morfydd Mortymer); Tomos Eames (Moesen Jenkins/ Richard Bennett); Crisian Emanuel (Elianor Mortymer); Michael Geary (Iolo Milk/ Billy Handy/ Abraham Thomas); Carwyn Glyn (Jethro Mortymer/ Willie Gwallter); Charlotte Gray (Polly Morgan/ Mari Dirion/ Mrs Gwallter); Phylip Harries (Dai Probert/ Owen Howells/ John Frost); Sion Ifan (Iestyn Mortymer); Victoria John (Mrs Phillips/ Mrs Pantrych); Gwawr Loader (Edwina Mortymer/ Ceinie Hughes); Dyfrig Morris (Big Rhys Jenkins); Simon Nehan (Hywel Mortymer); Kai Owen (Idris Foreman/ Snell/ Hart); Christian Patterson (Tomos Traherne/ Crawshay Bailey); Elin Phillips (Gwennie Lewis/ Sara Roberts/ Mrs Tossach); Sion Pritchard (Dafydd Phillips/ Mr Gwallter)

Performed at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, February 14 to March 9, 2013. Performance reviewed: February 19, 2013.

Links

Rape of the Fair Country on Clwyd Theatr Cymru website (retrieved Jan 14 2015)

Rape of the Fair Country and Alexander Cordell on The Valleys Heroes website (retrieved Jan 14 2015)

Rape of the Fair Country on Wikipedia (retrieved Jan 14 2015)

Clip of the furnace fight scene (retrieved Jan 14 2015)