Words by Briana Ciobanu

Blaze of Glory! is a beautiful presentation of the people of South Wales put into song by the cast
and crew of this magnificent piece of art.

The opening night at first seemed to have a high rate of success, with a full theatre the atmosphere of the audience was transmitting only good energy and excitement for the opera. A wonderful opening took place as the group of women made their way onto the stage accompanied by the wonderful sound of the live orchestra. Followed by the miners coming through the seats of the audience accompanied by the Dowlais Male Voice Choir. However, unfortunately, at times throughout the whole performance, the volume of the orchestra was drowning out the voices of the actors on the stage, making it difficult to hear or understand the words, but thankfully surtitles were
provided in both Welsh and English.

Blaze of Glory! Has done an incredible job in portraying the idea of positivity in dark times, not only through showing the struggles of the miners in the 1950s but also by portraying the treatment of women, as in certain scenes there was some emphasis on the way the men saw the women as their subordinates. But with the exception of Miss Price played by the wonderful Rebecca Evans who has had a great presence on the stage, giving the production life and I can happily agree that ÔÇ£ She put the male into Male choirÔÇØ.

As well as Miss Price other characters such as Mr. Bebb, Branwen, and Anthony in particular, have presented extraordinary vocals and true acting that connected the characters to the audience. Overall the first part of the opera was energetic, fast-paced, and enjoyable. Although Blaze of Glory! Is a good production, it did not seem to be to everyoneÔÇÖs liking, due to the fact that during the interval some of the audience members left the theatre without making a return, though leaving me with a better sight of the stage.

Moving on to the second and last part of the production the humour was kept up until the sad, tragic ending of the main character where there was not much feeling projected on the audience as someone could expect. For instance, the funeral scene did not have a great impact mostly because of the acting, which was good but insufficient to the point where you would truly believe that this is real and you are part of this sorrowful moment. Despite that all was forgotten with the start of the ending scene in which the actors sang their hearts out, offering the audience a strong finish vocally and also a boost of happiness.

Finally, the audience appeared to be astonished by the opera, as throughout the performance of the production you could hear audience members join in singing together with the actors some of the Welsh songs. As for the mise-en-scène, a huge congratulations to the team who put together all the settings, and costumes. They have formed a great image of the 1950s valleys with beautiful authentic costumes, and wigs along with the use of warm lighting which emphasised the feeling of working in a mine. Blaze of Glory! Once again portrayed the great personalities of the Welsh people, humor and virtues. So if you are from the valleys or want to have a peek at the Welsh culture I recommend watching the Blaze of Glory! As they have done a good job in creating this production. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Blaze of Glory! for all the hard work.