Street play tells of home, hope, and homelessness

REVIEW: 'An Orange in the Subway' performed outdoors at Parc Mackenzie, Cardiff

An Orange in the Subway is a story of home, hope, and homelessness inspired by real people's stories of life on the streets of Cardiff and performed on those very streets.

In partnership with Welsh homelessness charity The Wallich, the play has been developed by Cardiff pub theatre The Other Room and service users themselves. Ironically, the theatre group is itself without a home having lost its former base when the lease expired.

Featuring a cast of professional actors and, in the case of Osian Lloyd, a performer with lived experience of being homeless in Cardiff, Owen Thomas' absurd and frenzied new play tackles profound questions from the perspective of the city's rough sleepers.

The obvious and most striking aspect of the performance is, of course, the staging of the play on the streets of Cardiff. As such, it aims to provide the audience with a brief view into the reality of rough sleeping, with all its sights, smells and dangers. The minimal staging under the trees and costumes comprising duvets and sleeping bags appropriately convey the bleakness of the life.

It was wet and windy for last night's (Thursday 11 September) press night, which made the experience less than comfortable, but perhaps that in itself is a lesson for those of us more fortunate. The street homeless of Cardiff do not choose to sleep under these conditions, but tolerate them they must. Unfortunately the strong winds sometimes carried away the actors' voices which detracted from the performances on occasion.

The cast however conveyed the despair, camaraderie and humour of the experience, with Mica Williams providing a gripping and emotional lead performance, tempered by the comedic talents of Francois Pandolfo in a myriad of roles.

An Orange in the Subway is a unique telling of a familiar, yet often ignored subject and community. The script succeeded in delivering a poetic and philosophical tale of individuals teetering on the brink of madness, dealing with the challenges and abuses faced on a daily basis.

An Orange in the Subway runs until Saturday 27 September at Parc Mackenzie, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT (map). Tickets are available at www.ticketsource.co.uk/otherroomtheatre

Review by Lynne Schofield

Photos by Kirsten McTernan

We received free tickets for this performance in exchange for an honest review