As I write, it’s 60 years to the day since the Aberfan disaster claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults and changed a community forever. The Revlon Girl explores the aftermath of the event, and the women who had to live with losing a child – and their entire way of life – because of the negligence of coal companies.
Eight months after the disaster, a group of women from the area organise a representative of cosmetic company Revlon to visit them, so they may begin to take care of themselves again. The young representative, referred to only as ‘Revlon’ by the women, has no idea what she’s in for, and is quickly overwhelmed by the ongoing grief, as well as the infighting which has proliferated in the meantime. As they wait for others to arrive, four women from the community air their grievances, tell their stories and get a little makeup advice along the way.
This play, written by Neil Anthony Docking and concluding an October Welsh tour 10 years after its first one, is essential viewing, particularly for parents with young teenagers – it can help teach them about the impact of real events, and moments which shaped Welsh history and identity. The Revlon Girl expresses what happened in a way that allows anyone – regardless of whether they knew of the disaster before or not – to understand what happened that day, and the impact that it had on real people.
From a critical perspective, certain flaws do stand out. The dialogue between the women feels authentic to the area, but when they begin to tell the stories their language becomes expository, like listening to a history book. Welsh people are storytellers; we communicate through long anecdotes about our days and, often, our lives.
We also have a way of expressing those stories: a dialect that we speak in, a way of connecting through story that didn’t quite come through. This often means that whenever a character shares a (hugely meaningful) part of their life, the energy of the play drops heavily. Finally, and granted this is a very specifically girly-girl thing, I desperately wanted one of them to have a full face of makeup by the end of the show, given there’s makeup in both title and central premise.
When the dialogue is good, though, it’s incredibly strong. Rona’s outpouring of grief and anger at the way greed impacts normal people is particularly powerful, and Mirian Haf Roberts plays the embittered and angry character brilliantly. Charlotte Grey is a breath of fresh air as the young and optimistic Sian, who just wants things to go well and for everyone to feel better. Llinos Daniel brings a grounding and commanding energy to the stage as the God-fearing Jean, and Hedydd Dylan’s neurotic, fragile portrayal of spiritualist Maralyn is heartbreaking at times. Antonia Kinley, the Revlon girl herself, holds the scenes together and really shows how challenging it can be to try and support people who’ve had experiences you can scarcely imagine.
The importance of memorialising events doesn’t come with remembering it happened, but remembering the impact on those affected. The Revlon Girl is a funny, poignant reminder that small pockets of joy can be found in the darkest of times, and that the greed of faceless corporations causes untold damage to everyday human beings.
The Revlon Girl, The Riverfront, Newport, Tue 20 Oct
Also on Wed 21 Oct (tickets: £22. Info: here) and in the Park Theatre, London from Mon 26 Oct-Sat 14 Nov (info: here)
words HARI BERROW
