Good morning, Pontypool! Broadcasting to you live from the Wales Millennium Centre Weston Studio comes an all-new stage adaptation of the Tony Burgess book, Pontypool Changes Everything. With something very strange affecting the residents of Pontypool, you’re going to want to stay tuned for updates, lock your doors, stay away from family members and most importantly… Don’t. Breathe. A word!
Set entirely within the Beacons Radio station basement in the heart of Pontypool, this new adaptation of the Pontypool story brings the setting to Wales. Where the original text and subsequent film in 2008 took place in Pontypool, Ontario, Canada. The story follows local radio host Grant Mazzy as he tries to report on a developing situation involving a mob in the town. The staging and sound design work perfectly for this story and give you a sense of the expansive story outside the basement whilst also managing to feel incredibly claustrophobic.
It’s hard to talk more about the storyline without giving anything away, this production benefits so much from confusion and slow realisation in the characters, so I’ll mention them instead. All of the performances were spectacular. The washed up out of town ‘shock-jock’ constantly butting heads with the fiercely proud local producer, while the bright young tech runs around doing all the heavy lifting was so relatable and perfect for the story. It’s hard to pick a standout in the core trio as Lloyd Hutchinson, Victoria John and Mali O’Donnell were all excellent and owned the show. The set design and effects were glorious but the true joy lay in the three performances of the leads.
There was an abundance of laughs from the audience, as the new setting of the story in Wales is used to full effect and the script is packed full of local references and ‘Welshisms’. Hefin Robinson took a cult horror that referenced South Wales in name only, and made it feel like it was ours all along. Again, hard to discuss this more without going into spoilers, but the affliction that is spreading through the town feels so perfectly suited to the history and culture of Wales that it’s hard to see how this adaptation hasn’t been made before.
To my shame, I cannot speak Welsh, and even though the show is performed predominantly in English, I found myself more than ever extremely envious of the members of the audience that are bilingual. For them Pontypool must take on a whole other level of meaning. Plus they would have understood Huw Stephens, in a small voice cameo in the first act! If nothing else Pontypool has convinced me to give Duo Lingo another go, so next time I see the show I’ll experience it to full effect.
Overall, I loved Pontypool. The big shows that I typically see at the WMC are always spectacular, but I’ve found myself hankering for more theatre of this kind in Cardiff. Innovative, unique and creative, Pontypool is a masterpiece of theatre that is precious should be lauded by fans of horror, theatre and Wales alike. Everyone should get the down the Bay and see this show before it’s too late. The perfect Halloween treat.
