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The Green, Green Grass of Home: Mr Jones An Aberfan Story - Finborough Theatre

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A life of hope and promise, interrupted, lies at the heart of Mr Jones: an Aberfan Story. The play follows two young people in Aberfan before and after the disaster that killed 144 people, including 116 children. It’s an emotional coming-of-age tale of intersecting lives, family, love, and the shock of tragedy. With two vivid performances and strong characterisations, you feel immersed in 1960s Welsh small-town life. It’s now running at the Finborough Theatre , after performances at the Edinburgh Festival and across Wales.  The Aberfan disaster is well known in the UK but perhaps less so elsewhere. The facts of the tragedy are confined to the programme notes rather than in the piece. On 21 October 1966, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on a mountain above Aberfan engulfed a local school, killing many. The play avoids the causes and negligence, instead focusing on those working and building lives in the town.  Writer-performer Liam Holmes plays Stephen Jones, a...

Dance: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre


Source: http://www.alvinailey.org

In a week with a head cold from hell (which meant no gym, a lot of rest, and no socialising), it was somewhat of a relief to get out and see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at Sadlers Wells on Saturday night. Arriving at the theatre with the above artwork plastered all over the theatre (and most of Islington), I expected little was spent on the costume budget. But in a programme set to legendary jazz music, it turned out to not be the case. This was a bit of a relief as after a week of coughing and spluttering who needs to have somebody else's physical fitness rubbed in your face?

After the first interval I caught up with Fliss who was there with her posse. Fliss signed up to see the show on the strength of a viral video that was doing the rounds in the past month. I was there just for the artistic enrichment (plus I got a great seat at good price). Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Anyway I joined them the first interval onwards as a seat filler in the stalls. And while the view of the stage wasn't as good, the view of the stalls was much better and there were some pretty nice views there... Fliss and I also managed to bitch about some of the production team seating by who only vaguely managed to resemble their photos in the programme.

Anyway I digress... Setting dance to the music of Duke Ellington and others can only be a good thing and it was a great evening. I was even grooving along at various points. Afterwards I passed on a chance to dine with the posse in favour of more drinking and more jazz... It was probably not the best idea after a decongestant with pseudoephedrine (and may have explained the in-seat grooving) but what the hell. Regardless of what substances I was under the influence of, it still was a great night. They are in London until the end of this week before touring the rest of the UK. Definitely one to catch... And most of the seats at Sadlers Wells are pretty good...

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