Blaze of Glory - Welsh National Opera Review
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Sat 06 May 2023
This new production from Welsh National Opera was commissioned to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary in 2021 and so it is fitting that
Blaze of Glory! is in praise of song. Like so many shows it was delayed but is currently touring the UK including a performance at Birmingham Hippodrome celebrating how much singing together brings people together.
The story tells the tale of a community in a South Wales mining town who are struggling. A recent disaster underground has left them bereaved and demoralised and now they are facing the possible closure of the pit where they all work.
Into this valley of hopelessness steps Nerys Price, played by Rebecca Evans, who decides the answer is to reform the male voice choir. Evans’ Miss Price is a force to be reckoned with. She cajoles, nags and browbeats until she has the town on her side and together they convince choirmaster Dafydd Pugh to form a glee club.
Bethesda Glee Club, with a tongue-in-cheek joke or two about the Bee Gees, then sets off to become not just a choir but the best choir in Wales.
Evans is charming as the cheeky Miss Price. She makes no secret of the fact she is more than a little keen on Mr Pugh and that undercurrent provides lots of humour throughout. But she is also indomitable, here is a woman determined to hold her community together and give them hope.
Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts is an initially downhearted Mr Pugh but, buoyed up by the enthusiasm of his singers, he too realises that a choir can be a powerful force for good.
The show is written by Emma Jenkins and directed by Caroline Clegg who has undertaken a good deal of research for
Blaze of Glory! and that shows. Set in an unnamed mining community in the 1950s, the show feels authentic, giving voice to the communities who strived and survived through the pitheads.
In creating this world the writers also discovered communities where racial equality existed because the biggest inequality was in terms of wealth and privilege. As workers united, the show also brings in American singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson who was a strong supporter of the South Wales miners.
But while there is a lot of sadness in the show, it is also packed with gentle humour. There are the three women Bronwen (Angharad Morgan), Blodwen (Nafissatou Batu Daramy) and Branwen (Angharad Lyddon) who provide an Andrews Sisters like Greek Chorus on the action – and go on to form the singing group Welsh Rarebit alongside the ‘bearded alto’ yodeller Bryn Bevan played with gusto by Feargal Mostyn-Williams.
And there is a charming scene in which Pugh attempts to organise the choir, moving tenors and altos around and attempting to discover which one is singing out of tune.
David Hackbridge Johnson’s music is a blend of different styles, taking a lot of influence from the fifties, re-working some classic choral works and adding in a touch or two of opera. It all works wonderfully, reminding us that, after all, music is simply music.
The WNO’s chorus are given a chance to shine by taking centre stage through much of the work and they are supported by the City of Birmingham Male Voice Choir who also perform alongside from the auditorium.
In all
Blaze of Glory! is a great night out. It has some wonderfully created characters, a balance of sorrow and joy, and a story that just pulls you in so you can’t help but route for the Bee Gees.
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78342 - 2023-05-07 19:11:43