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...

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...

The line-up for this year’s Laugharne Weekend is (yet again) an interesting and diverse one with a variety of artists set to appear, including Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Cerys Matthews, the Pogues’ James Fearnley, Simon Armitage, Howard Marks, John Cooper Clarke and Jah Wobble and Keith Levene from the iconic late 70s band, Public Image Ltd.  There is one performance on the bill, however, that has a special relevance to Laugharne. The work of one of its most famous residents, Dylan Thomas, will be brought into the 21st century with a performance of Buggerall – which has been described as an ‘update’ of Under Milk Wood. The play, written by local author Jon Tregenna (pictured above), is being performed by Corsham-based theatre group Three’s Company on the opening night of the weekend. Buggerall poses the question: what if the poet was alive and well and writing about life in a West Wales seaside town today? (For those not in the know, Buggerall is Llareggub – the settin...