Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The Prince of Wales, a new play by Jon Tregenna, performed by Llanelli Stage Company and Llanelli Youth Theatre, Stiwdio Stepni at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. (running through to Saturday night, November 18). It’s got history, humour and high jinks. And the end result is slightly hysterical in a highly amusing way. The new play from Buggerall author Jon Tregenna is a fast-moving, cleverly-staged development of a radical idea. What if there is a descendant of the last great Welsh king, Llywelyn Ap Gruffudd? Will it be the end of the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles? Will it spark a constitutional crisis? There’s razor-sharp humour in sackloads played across a backdrop of serious themes about Welsh nationhood, friendship, mistaken identity, love, passion and the consumer culture. Throw in a few swipes about a pretentious arts and media culture and you have a bubbling Welsh cocktail which fizzes and delights through one long act with multiple scene changes. The Welsh love their h...

REVIEW: Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir, Dafydd Iwan and Côr Ysgol y Strade at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. The ‘annual’ Côr Meibion Llanelli concert is always regarded as one of the highlights in the Llanelli musical calendar – and the 2017 renewal continued a fine, high class tradition. The popular guest star for the show was Welsh folk singing legend Dafydd Iwan, who got the audience tapping their feet and singing along with many of his favourite hit recordings. The emotional highspot for many was a rendition of Hawl i Fyw, which moved some audience members to tears. Accompanied on the piano by the excellent Hefin Ellis, guitarist and ranconteur Dafydd thrives on telling musical stories and the audience were entertained, amused and moved in equal measure. Côr Meibion Llanelli played a powerful hand in fielding a 55-strong choir on the Ffwrnes stage – no mean feat in an age when many other male voice choirs complain about a decline in numbers. The first-half hig...

Hats off to the Curtain Up Theatre Company. They received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of their Saturday Night At The Movies show at Ffwrnes, Llanelli. The evening featured some of the best loved songs from music and television, under the musical direction of Anne-Marie Marks and with choreography from Debbie Garratt. The inimitable Denys Jenkins BEM (Denny Twp to Llanelli's Panto fans) was the host with the most, with a rich repertoire of 'true stories' for his Ffwrnes fan club. From the opening with the Drifters classic Saturday Night At The Movies, this was an evening where the cast enjoyed just as much as the audience. And it was all in a good cause, with the proceeds from the night going to the Llanelli branch of Mind. It was a night with plenty of highlights - Circle of Life, from the Lion King, Everything I Do, from Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, The Lakme Flower Duet, from True Romance, Unchained Melody, from Ghost, and Bring Him Home, from L...

Light, Ladd & Emberton is a collective of three Wales-based dance artists – Deborah Light, Eddie Ladd and Gwyn Emberton – together with creative producer Laura Drane. Tomorrow (Friday, April 21), they bring their award winning show called Caitlin to Llanelli (Ffwrnes Theatre). The dance trio came together in 2014 to make Caitlin, a show commissioned for the Dylan Thomas centenary by the National Library of Wales. Through collaborative working, Light Ladd and Emberton create original professional performance work, with the aim of creating exciting and inspiring productions for audiences in Wales and beyond, and to represent Wales and the UK on a national and international stage. They draw on history and identity, predominantly of Wales, to create productions with contemporary relevance and culturally engaged. Caitlin was the wife of poet Dylan Thomas. At the start of the 1970s, 20 years after he died, she started going to Alcoholics Anonymous. In a circle of chairs, set out for...

The Curtain Up Theatre Company are doing their annual show at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, on the June 10th this year. It is a 'SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES'. It is in aid of the MIND charity. The inimitable Denys Jenkins (Denny Twp) will be compère.

St David’s Celebration Concert at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, featuring soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, tenor Osian Wyn Bowen, massed male choir from Côr Meibion Mynydd Mawr, Côr Meibion Dyffryn Aman, Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi, Côr Meibion Porth Tywyn, conducted by Dr Alwyn Humphreys MBE. This was an evening celebrating the very best of Welsh singing - and a real ‘coming of age’ for West Wales tenor Osian Wyn Bowen. The 20-year-old from Burry Port has been quietly refining his craft for a number of years - and his performance before a packed house at Ffwrnes marked him out as a soloist to watch and follow for years to come. Confident, assured and controlled (with plenty of cheeky stagecraft thrown in for good measure), Osian showed that his time as a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has paid dividends. A duet with top-of-the-bill soprano Elin Manahan Thomas will live long in the memory. The couple’s performance of the Joseph Parry classic ‘Hywel a Blodwen’ (comp...

World cup cyclist Manon Lloyd was among 12 sporting talents crowned winners at the Carmarthenshire Sports Personality Awards on Friday. At a glittering ceremony, hosted by Radio Carmarthenshire presenter, Jay Curtis, winners from across the county were honoured for their achievements at Y Ffrwnes Theatre. The event rewards and honours people of all ages and abilities who contribute to sport in Carmarthenshire. The awards are organised by Carmarthenshire Council's sport and leisure team and recognise the sporting achievements of athletes, coaches and volunteers across Carmarthenshire. Executive board member for regeneration and leisure, Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “Once again the quality of entries received this year was outstanding and it really does get more difficult for the judging panel year on year. What a great night it was celebrating the huge wealth of sporting talent we have here in Carmarthenshire.” Manon Lloyd was named Sports Personality of the Year for her outstanding s...

The Valli Boys, Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir, The Phil Harmonics, pianist Thomas Park in concert at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, Saturday, February 4. Oh, what a night! Ffwrnes Theatre was alive to the sounds of music from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on Saturday night. Tribute act The Valli Boys rocked the packed house with classics from the Jersey Boys musical. But the night wasn’t all about the Four Seasons. Côr Meibion Llanelli and The Phil Harmonics chipped in with classics from Elvis Presley and Queen. And the evening saw a Ffwrnes concert debut for Thomas Park, a 12 year-old pupil of Coedcae School, Llanelli, and the recent winner of the Llanelli Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year competition. Thomas, originally from South Korea, but now living in Llanelli, provided a stunning example of his outstanding talent as a pianist with a faultless excerpt from Variations Brillantes by Frederic Chopin. Make a note of the name: Thomas Park is a young man going pla...

Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir will pay a special tribute to one of their favourite composers this week. Choir members held a minute’s silence at their rehearsals on Monday night after they were told of the death of well-known Teesside composer Peter Canwell at the age of 87. The choir had a working relationship with Mr Canwell spanning more than 20 years. On Saturday night, in their Christmas concert at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, they plan to pay a special tribute to Mr Canwell by performing his ‘A Lovely Christmas Feeling’. Mr Canwell, the retired headmaster of Stokesley Primary School in Middlesborough, is perhaps best known nationally for writing the much-loved school musical Carrots. The Stokesley Primary School Choir was featured on TV singing a carol, written by Mr Canwell, called ‘A Christmas Carol for All of the World’. Côr Meibion Llanelli musical director Mr D Eifion Thomas said: “It is, indeed, sad news regarding Peter’s passing away. “It was a privilege for my fam...

Across Carmarthenshire there is an abundance of sporting talent aided by coaches and volunteers. Every year, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Sports Personality Awards recognise their achievements and celebrate their success. The deadline is fast approaching for nominations for the sporting stars of 2016 who will be honoured in a glittering ceremony taking place in Ffwrnes Theatre on Friday, February 3 Categories include Sports Personality, Young Sportsman and sportswoman, Disabled Sportsman and sportswoman, Sports Coach, Sports Volunteer, Young Volunteer, Team of the year, Young Team of the year, Community Sport Coach and High Performance Coach, Outstanding Services to Sport and Sporting Hall of Fame. The awards, now in its 19th year, are organised by the council’s sports and leisure team and recognise the achievements of athletes, coaches and volunteers across Carmarthenshire. Executive board member for regeneration and leisure, Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “We have an abundance of spo...

A Night With the Stars gala concert, featuring Shân Cothi , Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin) and The Loud Applause Rising Stars, at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. Simply dazzling . . . No, we’re not talking Shân Cothi’s frocks here (although they were eye-catching, as always!). On a night of stirring singing, the show-stealing performance of the night was provided by an individual musician. Cardiff-based 17-year-old Charlie Lovell-Jones has a growing reputation as one of the UK’s finest young musical talents. And he blew the packed house away at Ffwrnes Theatre with a virtuoso violin performance. It was stunning stuff. At times you could swear a small chamber orchestra was playing, such was his dexterity during Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Sain-Saens. It took some time for some members of the audience to re-set their dropped jaws, but the violinist did reward everyone with a special addition to his set – a wonderfully emotional performance of the famous Suo Gan lullaby. He foll...

The search is on to find Carmarthenshire’s sporting stars of 2016. Nominations are now open for 13 categories at the annual Sports Personality ceremony to be held in February. Categories include Sports Personality, Young Sportsman and sportswoman, Disabled Sportsman and sportswoman, Sports Coach, Sports Volunteer, Young Volunteer, Team of the year, Young Team of the year, Community Sport Coach and High Performance Coach, Outstanding Services to Sport and Sporting Hall of Fame. The awards in its 19th year are organised by Carmarthenshire Council's sports and leisure team and recognise the sporting achievements of athletes, coaches and volunteers across Carmarthenshire. Winners will be announced in a glittering event at Y Ffwrnes on Friday, February 3. Executive board member for regeneration and leisure, Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “Carmarthenshire has an excellent reputation in Welsh sporting circles. The awards provide an opportunity to congratulate and honour the county’s accomplis...

All eyes were on Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre when goodwill and community spirit was celebrated in the first ever Tenant 2 Tenant Awards. The awards were organised by Carmarthenshire County Council in association with Spice, and rewarded those who go the extra mile to look after their homes and communities. There were 14 awards up for grabs – many of them went to volunteers who give their own time to help others. Categories included Young Tenant of the Year, Community Project of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award. There were also categories for best kept garden and grand designs, amongst others. The awards were hosted by Cllr Linda Evans, Executive Board Member for Housing. “Can I be the first to congratulate all winners, and all runners-up – all would have been worthy winners,” she said. “We hope that these awards will become an annual event – a great opportunity to reflect on the great work going on every day in our communities, and of course to thank...

Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir, Côr y Penrhyn, Adele O’Neill at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. There was a splendid competitive edge to this Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir annual concert staged at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. The Llanelli choir had invited Côr y Penrhyn, from North Wales, to perform – and that meant that we had two of Wales’s finest male voice choirs for the price of one. There was a healthy bit of one-upmanship throughout the concert as both male voice choirs tried to out-perform each other. Playing a diplomatic role between the two choirs was Pontarddulais soprano Adele O’Neill, who sparkled like a diamond all evening long. There’s a health rivalry between Côr Meibion Llanelli and Côr y Penrhyn which extends back to a visit the West Wales choir made to help launch the Pontio Arts Centre in Bangor. Côr Meibion Llanelli’s round one included the stirring Rejoice, Then! and two items which featured Adele O’Neill as soloist, Ave Maria and Libiamo, Limbi...

Llanelli Youth Theatre will be performing A Clockwork Orange later this month. It runs at Stiwdio Stepni, Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd April at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 3pm. A Clockwork Orange takes place in a futuristic city governed by a repressive, totalitarian super-state. In this society, ordinary citizens have fallen into a passive stupor of complacency, blind to the insidious growth of a rampant, violent youth culture. The protagonist of the story is Alex, who leads a small gang of teenage criminals. The Anthony Burgess play, with music, is based on his own provocative 1962 novella of the same name. The book was first published in 1987. A Clockwork Orange was made into a film classic by Stanley Kubrick in 1971, and was dramatised by the RSC in 1990. Age suitability 14+. Tickets - https://ffwrnes.ticketsolve.com/shows/873544837/events?show_id=873544837

Buggerall, written by Jon Tregenna and produced by Llanelli Youth Theatre (with Llanelli Stage Company) at Stiwdio Stepney, Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. To begin at the beginning, it's a silent cobbled street mile better than watching dancing JCBs! Llanelli-born Jon Tregenna has dug a long and deep trench to strike the rich legacy stream left behind by Dylan Thomas. There are gems here that have been carefully polished since Buggerall was first launched in 2003. This latest production brings the story bang up to date in 2016 - a world where selfies rule and the village rugby team drowns in a sea of drink. The question is: if Dylan Thomas was still alive, what would he make of a modern-day seaside village in Wales? "The butchers, the bakers, the walking stick makers; high class drapers and watch repairers; men selling fish out of wheelbarrows around pubs with snugs, and tapping barrels for free beer and grinning; and quarrymen quarrelling and old sea dogs with sa...

Some 36 sporting heroes from across the county have been shortlisted for Carmarthenshire Sports Personality Awards 2015. Judges selected three finalists in each of the 12 categories and the winners will be announced in a glittering ceremony at Ffwrnes Theatre in February. The awards in its 18th year recognise and celebrate the achievements of Carmarthenshire’s sportspeople. Media partners for the event on Friday, February 12 are Carmarthen Journal, Llanelli Star and Radio Carmarthenshire. Owens Logistics are the main sponsor and the nominated charity is The Ray Gravell and Friends Charitable Trust. Other sponsors include WRW, TAD, Jenkins Bakery, Arriva Trains, Sport Wales and Manhatten Marketing. This year’s X Factor star Sherilyn Hamilton-Shaw will be performing on the evening. As well as the sports personality award, the categories include young sportsman and sportswoman, disabled sportsman and sportswoman, sports coach, sports volunteer, young volunteer, team of the year, young t...

It was a night to remember – and a night for Remembrance. ‘A Night With The Stars’ at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, was an occasion for showcasing up-and-coming talent – the stars of the future - in Llanelli. And, with a clever change of mood and gear, it also served as on occasion for Remembrance, with an emotional Tribute To the Fallen in the second half of the programme. The event was designed to provide a platform for members of the Loud Applause Rising Stars team to show off their talents. With the sterling support of the Morriston Orpheus Choir, they did just that. Samuel Morris, Jordan Williams, Daniella Difede and Keely Morgan now seem like fully-established and rounded performers in their own right thanks to the nurturing of the Rising Stars programme. They practically have their own fan clubs – and they didn’t disappoint on a night when there was stiff competition for best performer of the night. Sophie Maliphant and Callum Howells (runaway winner of the ‘suit of the night’ ba...

Have you got what it takes to become the next Face of the Globe? Applications are now being invited from girls and ladies across the town that can represent Wales in the national beauty pageant finals in London and Paris. Llanelli’s prestigious Ffwrnes Theatre will play host to the selection event on Sunday, August 30. The competition is open to girls from age 5 upwards and is split into four age categories: Minis – aged 5-8; Junior – aged 9-13; Teen – aged 14-17; Senior – aged 18 plus. During the night 20 finalists will be selected, with five from each age category. The highest scoring girl from each division will win a trip to London and Disneyland Paris to compete in the grand finals. The council’s theatre manager, Carwyn Matera Rogers said: “We’re really excited to be hosting this event at Ffwrnes. It’s a great opportunity for the whole family including children, mums, sisters, grandmothers and aunts to take part with a chance of winning a trip to Disneyland Paris if selected.” N...

Wales’s leading chamber orchestra Sinfonia Cymru will be teaming up with one of the UK’s foremost specialists in Baroque music for a tour to three venues across South Wales this month. Guest Director and violinist Rachel Podger will join the orchestra for performances of music by Bach, Purcell, Vivaldi and Telemann at The Ffwrnes, Llanelli (Friday 29 May), The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (Saturday 30 May) and The Riverfront, Newport (Sunday 31 May). The all-baroque programme is a new venture for the orchestra and as General Manager Sophie Lewis says, “we could not have asked for a better person to direct us through the music of the period than Rachel. The breadth and depth of her understanding is unrivalled and that is why working with her will be such an inspiration for our players.” As well as establishing the hugely popular annual Brecon Baroque Festival, Rachel Podger has also garnered critical acclaim for her recordings of baroque masterpieces with particular p...