Latest On Song column - November 13

 SINGER Aled Jones will be making a welcome visit to Carmarthen to perform at The Lyric Theatre on Thursday (November 14).

The show is billed as Aled Jones - Full Circle.

Aled Jones was the boy treble who captivated the world with his angelic voice.

Selling more than seven million albums, Aled was the original, classical crossover star. His recording of Walking in the Air, from the animated film The Snowman, firmly established him as a household name and he has become an integral part of the nation’s festivities.

Equally at home on the classical stage, or starring in musical theatre productions in London West End, his credits include lead roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

As a singer, Aled is in demand globally and has performed in the world’s most iconic venues, from London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Sydney Opera House. 

A favourite with the Royal Family, he even gave a private performance to King Charles III in Kensington Palace. He is an award-winning television broadcaster and radio presenter who’s interviewed hundreds of A-List stars over the years. 

He heads up BBC’s Songs of Praise and his own Saturday and Sunday morning shows on Classic FM.

Now, after 40 years in the business, he’s looking back on a remarkable career with a one-man show, that will feature never-before-heard music, tales from the decades and for the first time, his story told in his own words.

Meanwhile, there’s a busy schedule of events coming up at Pontyberem Memorial Hall.

Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan will be bringing his band to the hall this Friday, November 15, (7pm).

Tickets are £20.50 and are available through the TicketSource website - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/

On Saturday, December 7, there is a Triple Tribute evening, featuring The Valli Boys, The Take That Show and a Neil Sedaka tribute act. Tickets are £15.50 and it starts at 7pm.

Saturday, December 14, sees a ‘Christmas At The Hall’ event, featuring Ed Sheeran and Meat Loaf tribute acts and the popular Cover Notes band. Tickets are £20.50 and the show starts at 7.30pm.

This year’s pantomime at Pontyberem Memorial Hall will be Aladdin. It will run from January 8-12 and tickets are available through the TicketSource website.

The big attraction in Llanelli this week is Scarlet Musical Theatre Productions staging Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard.

Bridget Radford’s hard-working theatre group will be putting on four shows at the intimate Stiwdio Stepni at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, from November 14 to 16.

There will be four shows – 7pm on November 14 and 15, with a matinee and evening show scheduled in for 1.30pm and 5.30pm on Saturday, November 16.

The promotional material for Sunset Boulevard says, ‘Join us for the masterful adaptation of the 1950 film noir classic, weaving a captivating tale of faded stardom and unrequited ambition.

‘At its centre is the enigmatic and complex Norma Desmond, a once-glorious silent movie star who clings to her past glory as ‘the talkies’ revolutionised the industry.

‘Her crumbling facade is a testament to her unyielding determination to reclaim her spotlight, even as her glamour and charm begin to fade.

‘As Norma navigates her downward spiral, she becomes entangled with Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter torn between his own ambition and his growing feelings for Betty Schaefer, a talented script reader.

‘The resulting love triangle is fraught with tension and complexity, as the three characters navigate the cut-throat world of Hollywood.’

Lloyd Webber’s musical has lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. 

The musical won Tony Awards in 1995 for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2024, Sunset Boulevard won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.

The Llanelli show is being directed by Carmarthen’s Steve Elias, whose CV includes a whole host of West End shows. The musical director is Bridget Radford.

Cast members included Ashton Williams, Cai Francis, Carys Gower, Emily Kelly, Ffion Moore, Gareth H Evans, Holly Bradford, Jac Owens, Jenna Barnard, Joel Trinder, Justine Davies, Kim Darkin, Lewis Francis, Matthew Tucker, Millie Tanner, Rebecca Lewis and Rebecca Timbrell.

Tickets are £14 and you can book online at www.theatrausirgar.co.uk or contact the Box Office on 0345 226 3510.

Also in Llanelli, the date has been announced for this year’s Festival of Light service in aid of Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli.

The service will take place at 6pm on Monday, November 25, at Greenfield Chapel.

The congregation will be welcomed by the Salvation Army band, who will also accompany the community signing.

There will be performances by Cor Llesisiau’r Llan, Cor Meibion Mynydd Mawr and the pupils of Ysgol y Felin, Llanelli.

Forms will be available at the service for donations and from the secretary of the hospice appeal fund on 07548 220122, by emailing secretary@tybryngwyn. org.uk or by downloading one from www.tybryngwyn.org.uk

Tickets are available from the secretary, committee members, or Davies Craddock Estates, 18 Murray Street, Llanelli, with a limited number available at the door on the night.

Looking further ahead, Carmarthen tenor and BBC radio star Wynne Evans will be bringing his Christmas Special to Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre on December 20.

The concert will feature the greatest Christmas hits and songs from Wynne’s debut album, A Song in My Heart, which shot straight to No1 in the classical album charts. 

Now a household name, Wynne is a host on BBC Radio Wales and regularly features as Gio Compario in the Go Compare TV Commercials. He is currently on TV in Strictly Come Dancing.

Wynne has performed as the principal tenor with the Welsh National Opera, appearing at Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House, Opera De Lyon in Paris and The Metropolitan Opera House in New York. He received critical acclaim for his Royal Albert Hall performance as Piangi in the 25th anniversary concert of The Phantom of the Opera. 

Performing an array of the most popular arias, musical theatre hits and popular classics, Wynne will be on stage with a live orchestra, choir and special guest vocalists. 

Tickets are £40.50.