Revlon Girl
Park 90
Based on events following the Aberfan Disaster, The Revlon Girl tells the true story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every Tuesday night to talk, cry and laugh without feeling guilty.
At one meeting, they realised how much they’d let themselves go. Afraid of being judged, they secretly arranged for a Revlon representative to come and give them a talk on beauty tips.
The thought about a play revolving around the aftermath of the Aberfan disaster might not sound like a fun night at the theatre, and indeed this play does have plenty of moments of sadness and pathos, but it also has many, many laugh out loud moments as the women resort to humour to cover up the pain they are feeling inside.
Those that are old enough will never forget what they saw on television that day. For those that were not born or aren’t old enough to remember have what happened graphically described to them. It is impossible to not feel for the parents and what they went through but equally it’s not possible to really understand what they truly experienced as they waited for news of their children and then had to line up for hours on end to identify their deceased child.
The story is told by four of the bereaved mothers each one of whom is trying to deal with the situation in their own individual way whilst also trying to support their friends and neighbours as they also do their best to cope with the trauma all around them. At first they are not judgemental of each other, but as the play progresses, cracks begin to emerge in their stoicism as one by one they begin to turn on each other as they allow their true innermost feelings to come out for the first time.
The mothers are played by Llinos Daniel, Hedydd Dylan, Charlotte Gray and Mirain Has Roberts superbly. They are such different characters from each other, each one for their own reasons trying to control their outward appearance and keep hidden the utter devastation they feel inside. Antonio Kinlay plays the Revlon representative with great sensitivity and tact. It must have been so difficult for the original Revlon Girl to have visited Aberfan on that evening to talk to the mothers – her reasons for volunteering to do so are also examined in the play.
Neil Anthony Docking’s script is simple. You could imagine it as an episode of a tv soap opera but it is huge in heart. You don’t need big words or complicated dialogue to express the most basic of human emotions. It asks questions that still haven’t been answered to this day. Why did the disaster happen and points out that if the coal tip had slipped the next day (a Saturday) or the next week (half term) there would not have been the horrific loss of life.
Maxine Evans’ direction is spot on. She keeps the play moving fast. There is never a let up of the humour or tension of the evening and she certainly gets the very best out of her all-female cast all of whom appear to have been born to play these characters.
A word should also be made of the very clever simple set design that includes a leaking skylight. Much humour is derived from this until a much more sinister reason for it being there is revealed.
This is intimate theatre at its very best as we watch the events of the evening from the point of view of the Revlon Girl – at first feeling awkward at how the mothers seem to be taking everything in their stride and then revealing their feelings of grief and guilt that they sent their children to school on that fateful Friday.
This is a compelling drama that deserves to be seen but as large an audience as possible. Don’t be put off by the subject matter as it is a life-affirming drama that leaves you with much to think about as you leave theatre.
Reviewer: Mike Linane
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐