REVIEW: CYNEFIN at Bread and Roses Theatre 10 Jan - 14 Jan 2023

‘The dialogue is vivid, opening up the audiences’ imagination and the impressive performance from Johnson is not to be missed’ ★★★ ½

Cerys Jones’ Cynefin at the Bread and Roses Theatre tells the story of twenty-two-year-old Carid (Lucy Havard) moving away from the over familiar Welsh village where she grew up to the bright lights of London. As she finds a job in something that she’s never heard of, because that’s what Londoners do, navigates the tube network, and attends generic bars where the pints cost an arm and a leg, her grandmother Mogwen (Ruth Parratt), grandfather Cai (Jack Ayres), great grandmother Eva (Marina Johnson), and great grandfather Jac (Will Tusker) watch over her from heaven. Cynefin quickly becomes a heartfelt depiction of what it means to move away from “home” without losing touch of your family ancestry and the blood and soil that makes you, you. A struggle that lots of young people moving to London may also have experienced.

The dialogue written by Jones is captivating, bouncing the audience from the Welsh countryside to London’s streets, from 1930s Wales to modern London, across generations and borders. Jones’ ability to describe so many experiences across time and place so vividly is certainly impressive. What Jones’ play lacks, perhaps, is a captivating storyline that matches the captivating places that her characters are describing.

I was also unimpressed by the direction of this play, with Carid being in front of the raised stage making her hard to see at times. There was lots of standing in straight-lines and an unimaginative use of space. However, with the descriptive writing attending to every one of the audiences’ senses, what was lacking in the space, the audience where able to fill in their imaginations.

Harvard played a young, Welsh, Bridget Jones-esque women, full of uncertainties, excitements, and a muck-in-and-see what happens attitude well. She made us laugh and cry as she mostly held the audience in the palm of her hands. Tusker too offered a heartfelt monologue, exposing Jac’s struggles that kept him tied to his homeland. Parratt and Ayres, too, offered decent performances although it sometimes felt as if Jones had given their characters less attention. The stand-out performance, however, came from Johnson. She portrayed the stubborn Eva whose lifework was to keep the family safe and together, with such conviction. Every time she spoke the audience was fully on her side as she gave a performance that was worthy to be seen beyond London’s fringe theatre scene. Despite her youth, I truly believed she had lived a life full of trials, tribulations, and memories. I would watch Cynefin again just to see Johnson in action. Although, with sold-out audiences on Wednesday 11th and Saturday 14th this may prove difficult.

In between the generational debates, reminiscent monologues, and Cariad’s hectic adventures across the capital the cast would burst into choral Welsh songs. Whilst these were a nice addition to the sometimes-static play, and successfully represented the idea of Welsh heritage, they sometimes felt misplaced, and I wish the idea of Welsh song was integrated into the play more smoothly.

Overall Cynefin is a successful exploration of family ties, the idea of “home”, and finding your way in a big city whilst carrying the weight of ancestral expectations on your shoulders. The dialogue is vivid, opening up the audiences’ imagination and the impressive performance from Johnson is not to be missed. The audience that were there with me laughed, cried, and pondered along with the characters on stage. What is missing, however, is a directorial vision and a fully captivating storyline. That being said, Cynefin certainly has potential, and, after a few tweaks, I look forward to seeing where it goes next.

CYNEFIN at Bread and Roses Theatre 10 Jan - 14 Jan 2023

written & directed by Cerys Jones

Box Office https://www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/whats-on.html

Reviewed by Amy Tickner

Amy is a theatre maker based in North London. She has directed for many companies at various pub theatres across London and her debut play ‘Jammy Dodgers’ had successful runs at Theatre N16, Etcetera Theatre, The Cockpit, and Edinburgh Fringe Festival.