ED FRINGE 2011 : The Dark Philosophers – The Traverse

Writer: Carl Grose & Told by an Idiot/National Theatre Wales

Director: Paul Hunter

Reviewer: John Roberts

The Public Reviews Rating:

Based on the dark short stories of Gwyn Thomas; the youngest of 12 children who was brought up, raised and lived in the Rhondda Valley until the day he died. This production celebrates not only the man himself but also his twisted and dark stories of jealousy and fury, angst and passion, love and lust.

In a striking partnership between Told by an Idiot and National Theatre Wales, Paul Hunters strong fusion of physical theatre and elements of clowning help bring this piece vividly alive in a strong and highly enjoyable 90 minute production. The cast are a tight knitted ensemble and really come into their own during perfectly punctuated welsh folk numbers which reverberate perfectly in the main space at The Traverse.

Played out on a striking set designed by Angela Davies of conjoining wardrobes that pile on to of each other to create a catacomb of entrances and exits, which are used to brilliant effect for tension and humour throughout.

However one was slightly disappointed by the amount of blackouts used throughout the production and punctuated with what can only be described as an irritating sound effect with each one, howver minor niggles aside this is a blast of a production and can’t fail to bring a smile to your face, even during the quite brutal scenes of violence…I guess you will have to see it to know what I mean.