The Metropolis

Recommended: Welsh language play Saer Doliau at the Finborough Theatre

Mike Pollitt | Saturday 9 February, 2013 13:42

Saer Doliau, the play currently being performed in Welsh at the Finborough Theatre near Earl’s Court, is a novel experience for the English speaking viewer, and one I’d recommend.

The novelties are beguiling enough: the three actors trade their lines in a language whose sounds, let alone words, are utterly foreign to the English ear. Surtitles above the tiny performing area provide the translation. But the greatest pleasure of the watching is not in the novelties, diverting though they are, but in the dramatic force of the play itself. A rural Welsh craftsman fights against the forces of progress. Can he ever hope to win? It’s tightly constructed, well performed, and thoroughly satisfying. A rare welsh bit of theatre, all round.

Runs to 19 Feb 2013, details here.

And for more details on the background to the performance and the play, read our in depth interview with one of its actors Steffan Donnelly.

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