Show tells a tale that is rooted in Cardiff’s past

WITH a rich history and a diverse community, the old Tiger Bay area of Cardiff has got so many stories to tell it’s no wonder it has inspired a new stage show.

Tiger Bay The Musical is the very ambitious production from the Wales Millennium Centre in association with Cape Town Opera. It features a huge ensemble cast led by musicals legend John OwenJones and Cardiff’s very own pop starturned-stage actor Noel Sullivan.

It takes audiences back to the dawn of the 20th century at the height of South Wales’ coal trade, with characters drawn from the melting pot of Cardiff’s famous docklands area.

With a long running time of three hours, you know before the start that this could be as challenging for the audiences as the cast and crew – and sadly it isn’t all smooth sailing, although there are many positives to draw on.

Written by Michael Williams and composed by Daf James, you can instantly see how this is influenced by Les Miserables.

But Tiger Bay would work much better if it was scaled back a little – there are so many “epic” ensemble numbers at the start that, while well performed, they make it difficult to get into the story.

All of the action unfolds on a dimly-lit stage which resembles the bow of a ship but, with some clever use of lighting and props, transforms into a room at the castle, a docklands bar, the streets of Tiger Bay and the shop floor at the David Morgan department store.

As the immigrants and street urchins fight for survival and Valleys girl Rowena longs for a future away from the shop floor, the Third Marquess of Bute is installed in Cardiff Castle where he’s grappling his own demons.

As the Marquess, Owen-Jones – famous for playing Les Mis’ Jean Valjean and the Phantom – has a meltdown before our eyes as he locks himself away in his castle and pines for his dead love Mary.

The tenor’s voice is outstanding but while the Marquess falls hook line and sinker for a scam about his lost son, it’s hard to feel any real sympathy for him at first.

Sullivan is very watchable as the dastardly, womanising businessman Seamus O’Rourke and both Vikki Bebb and Busisiwe Ngejane (as love rivals Rowena and Klondike) put in powerful performances and have beautiful voices.

But, for me, there are two stars of the show – Dom Hartley-Harris as the grieving Themba and Ruby Llewelyn as young spirited street urchin, Ianto, whom he befriends. With her spot-on comedy timing, Ruby also brings plenty of lighter moments to this dark drama.

The music – a mix of ballads and rousing ensemble numbers – is catchy enough while the choreography is impeccable. The children, in particular, show boundless energy as they go through the kind of routines that Diversity would be proud of.

One of the highlights comes during a scene inside David Morgan’s when the mannequins seemingly come to life. (I loved the replica of the famous department store’s clock too.)

While it’s very much a tale rooted in Cardiff’s past, with plenty of local accents to boot, it’s one which could translate to stages across the country – something which I hope will happen – once some tweaking is made.

Slicing off at least 20 minutes would tighten the story and make this a far slicker show that would be a more enjoyable journey for audiences.

Tiger Bay The Musical is at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, until November 25. Visit www.wmc.org.uk

By Karen Price