Truth or Dare
“A range of dynamic, thought-provoking and hilarious short plays”.
Truth or Dare comes to Theatr Clwyd until 13th May and through a range of short plays, it explores secrets, lies and how far we will go when provoked.
Truth or dare is split into two separate shows with ten actors in each cast and with five plays each to be explored. We were firstly introduced to ‘Dare’ which was directed by Francesca Goodridge and associate director Daniel Lloyd. From the outset, the cast made a valiant effort of getting the audience geared up for a fun filled night. The cast appear on stage wearing blindfolds as the ‘Voice of Theatr Clwyd’ animatedly introduces the show. For this production, audience members were invited to bring props along to enhance the story line. With a range of slightly chaotic and questionable props being held up by the audience members, you could sense that this was a production that would not be taken too seriously.
Whilst the props used in the show provided some real laugh out loud moments, the dialogue around the props was mostly predetermined and scripted. This meant that there was not much of an opportunity for the actors to play around and improvise with their object, which I personally feel was a missed opportunity.
What I liked about this production is the use of the short plays. Each play has been newly written and are cleverly written so that they focus on some really sensitive issues but do so with a light-heartedness and nonchalant feel. This was effective in keeping the audience engaged throughout and I personally would have been happy to watch each play as a stand alone production. Each of the plays only had a few actors on stage which also gave good opportunity for each actor to demonstrate their talents and each actor must be commended for an incredible production.
It is hard to whittle down standout performances from such a high standard. Geraint Rhys Edwards, who plays a charismatic salesman trying to sell a mysterious cube (oooooh!)- a running joke throughout the play, has the audience in the palm of his hands with fantastic comedic timing, and the cheeky chappy persona to match the famous Del Boy. Hefin Wyn and Laura Dalgleish make the perfect pairing for my favourite play of the whole night ‘Annwn (Mold Gold)’ in which there are lots of local jokes and links to the famous Gold Cape of Mold. They perfectly encapsulate an erratic belief in the spiritual world and when they meet a prospector searching for gold, chaos ensues.
Dare ends on a fantastic high with Dalgleish once again and the fabulous Caitlin Drake with their play ‘and the crowd goes boom’. This play focuses on two struggling actors waiting for their big break, as they are invited to be the opening act for ‘truth’, which is branded as the ‘real production’. It is evident that the two actors have bad blood amongst themselves as they have known each other throughout their school years and they consistently make jabs at each other which makes for a hilarious show. The prop in this performance is a highlight as it is a hand with its middle finger sticking up - hilariously apt to contribute to the bad blood amongst the struggling actors.
The second play ‘truth’, directed by Hannah Noone and associate director Juliette Manon, takes a more serious turn as it explores a more dark and sad approach with dialogue on bereavement and loneliness. At first, I found it a little hard to adapt to the more serious of productions after ending on such a high with truth, but as standalone productions, ‘truth’ is as just of a high standard as ‘dare’.
‘Two parts madness, one part mayhem’ was the standout production for ‘Truth’ as we meet a hysterical and over the top ‘Lady’ waiting for her husband. Perfectly played by Francois Pandolfo, we often see the lady break character which is hilarious. The Lady meets a detective, portrayed by Seren Vickers who reveals that the Lady’s husband has been murdered by a door knob (thanks to the help of the audience’s involvement with the props). This play is laugh out loud funny and throughout, Vickers and Pandolfo work so well together to make the chaos escalate.
Truth or Dare provides audiences with a range of dynamic, thought-provoking and hilarious short plays. Cleverly designed by two sets of incredible casts and creatives, it was a pleasure to be part of new and upcoming incredible theatre.
This show was reviewed on the 4th May. Truth or Dare runs at Theatr Clwyd until the 13th May 2023. Tickets for both shows here: What's On | Theatr Clwyd
Review written by Vicky Humphreys
Photo credit: Andrew AB Photography
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