Theatre Review: Odyssey 84’, Sherman Theatre
Summary:
Rating: ★★★★★
Running Dates: Friday 11th October - Saturday 26th October 2024
Where to see it: Sherman Theatre
Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes (including interval)
Keywords: Historical Drama, Welsh History
Photo Credit: Mark Douet
Odyssey ’84 is Tim Price’s reimagining of the 1984 miner’s strike inspired by Homer’s Odyssey. The play follows John and Tina O’Donnell as the miner’s strike hits South Wales.
Throughout the play we follow both John’s story where he’s sent across the world to fundraise for the strike, and Tina’s story as she struggles to keep her family fed and help other’s in the community. Our story starts when John, Billy and Dai travel to Nottingham to support the miner’s striking in the North of England following Thatcher’s announcement to close 20 pits. This picket marks the start of John’s adventure across the world to fundraise for the miners back home.
Like Odysseus, John encountered many perils on his journey home from Nottingham to Penrhiwceiber via Australia and Moscow. While at home his wife Tina, holds down the fort supporting the community of South Wales miners, working in a support group handing out food parcels to those who need it. Mirroring the themes of guest-friendship Penelope shows in Homer’s Odyssey.
The production of the play was captivating, you felt every emotion along with the character’s on stage. All of the actor’s gave an outstanding performance, I’m not usually one to cry at performances but my eyes were definitely watering at parts of Penny’s story specifically.
The balance between drama and history was perfect, you were able to follow the story arc easily while also learning more about the strike itself. In the story we see famous historical moments such as the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group, and the heartbreaking Battle of Orgreave. But we also see lesser known facts such as the international support the miner’s received from the USSR, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Japan.
The balance of real life events mixed in with more dramatised scenes of meetings, such as John’s run in with the IRA threatening to hammer a chisel behind the bar of his knee cap, allows the play to be realistic but drive in the key take home messages of the play.
Photo Credit: Mark Douet
At the end of the play we see Penny giving outfox packages at the support group, as the scene plays on we see the costumes and shopping bags get more modern reflecting the many Food Banks across the country. This scene highlights the lasting impression the miner’s strikes had on our communities and how it much it’s shaped our country’s history.
Overall, I’d highly recommend seeing Odyssey ’84, the production and acting is outstanding. The story is so impactful and will leave a lasting impression on everyone that goes and watches this drama. It’d be hard to not enjoy this production.
The show is running until the 26th of October so grab your ticket soon!
Standout Quote or Moment: There’s too many to choose from it’s so hard to pick. The final scene has to be one that stays with you as it emphasises the impact the strike has had on our country.
See If: You love a drama, especially a historical drama.
Last Impression: Poignant drama about the dramatic effects of the miner’s strike, and how it’s shaped Welsh history and culture.
To get tickets for the show click here
We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.
Written by Cerian Millin
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