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Cardiff
East
by Peter Gill
Royal National Theatre
New Theatre, Cardiff, 8 April 1997
Peter Gill, an author and director of international standing and an Associate Director of the Royal National Theatre, was born and bred in Tremorfa. In CARDIFF EAST, he weaves the stones of 14 people into a kaleidoscopic impression of 24 hours in the life of a community on a housing estate which seems a world away from the shiny enterprise of Cardiff and the Bay.
"They find balm for their aimless lives in bingo, booze, betting, karaoke, drugs and — more positively -friendship and a sense of community.." — Daily Telegraph
It's a story of the 90s, a story of whether such a cosmopolitan community, which derives such a rich history from its glory years as a major sea port, thinks of itself as Welsh or uniquely Cardiff.
"The play's tone is apt to become nostalgic ... but the serious point is that these people still have some sense of their history. Most of them can also rely on each other's support when the going gets tough." — The Times
The cast, almost entirely from the ranks of Welsh performers, includes Kenneth Cranham, Windsor Davies, Elizabeth Estensen, Melanie Hill, Karl Johnson, Di Botcher, Susan Brown, Gwenllian Davies, Daniel Evans, Andrew Howard, Mark Lewis Jones, Lisa Palfrey, Matthew Rhys and June Watson.
"..both dark and funny" — Western Mail
"Gill's cast is consistently excellent" — The Times
"You can reach out and touch the dedicated ensemble atmosphere" — The Observer
"COMPELLING THEATRE" — Western Mail