REVIEW: Calon Lân the Musical, Swansea Grand Theatre, until July 6.

It sings to the soul . . .

Calon Lân the Musical has enough energy to vibrate your spinal column.

And enough passion to stir emotions in the faithless.

It’s been a labour of love for a number of years for writer/composer Mal Pope.

But it was worth the wait, on the evidence of Saturday’s ‘gala opening night’ at Swansea’s Grand Theatre.

Economically-constructed around one multi-purpose ‘industrial revolution’ set, Calon Lân tells the story of Evan Roberts, who, in 1904 in Loughor, started the great Welsh Revival, an electrifying escalation of religious fervour.

The story is well known. But, the telling of it, in Calon Lân, is neatly done, being framed by the memories of the journalist WT Stead – an editor who interviewed Roberts but later met an untimely end aboard The Titanic in 1912.

A story, set more than 100 years ago and covering a revival which only lasted 18 months, has plenty of contemporary spin – fake news, hero worship, the cult of personality, the desire to torch our heroes, industrial strife . . .

They all sit alongside the timeless themes of passion, love, family, jealousy, sacrifice and betrayal.

The music alternates between foot-stompers which will rock you to the core, to anthems which include references to our classic hymns, to sweet melodies.

It’s a musical canvas which Mal Pope fills with drama and colour.

James Ifan is an energetic and conflicted Evan Roberts, Swansea favourite Claire Hammacott is pure West End class in the role of his mother Hannah, Delme Thomas shines as the Loughor preacher’s nemesis. Rev Peter Price, and Cameron Blakely, the owner of one of the best voices in theatre, holds the whole thing together as WT Stead.

It’s a show that steps into the arena of musical theatre with confidence, but it does contain a couple of false steps, including one where the ‘guys in shawls’ introduce a touch too much comedy, temporarily breaking a carefully-crafted dramatic illusion.

The gala opening night wasn’t without its technical hitches, either.

At the start of the second half, the sound system collapsed.

The cavalry arrived in the shape of show director Maxine Evans, who raced to the front of the auditorium to fill the gap.
She relieved the tension, with her own ‘comedy three minutes’ – “Does anyone know any jokes?” . . . “Where are you all from?”

“Do you like the top?” she asked the gala night audience. “It was £34.99 reduced to £12.99.”

One audience member shouted, “You should be on the stage”, forgetting that Maxine is an actor of note, virtually unrecognisable from her role in the TV hit Stella.

The tech glitch was a blip . . .

This is a show that lifts the spirit.

Praise the Lord!

Join the congregation and go and see it!

Calon Lân the Musical runs until July 6.

Review: A Choired Taste and guests Only Men Aloud at The Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen.

As you would expect from a choir with the clever name of ‘A Choired Taste’, there was plenty to admire in this fifth birthday party concert staged at The Lyric in Carmarthen.

Girl Power was at the fore, but the concert programme did allow space for the ‘boys’ to showcase their stuff.

The choir’s guests included the celebrated Only Men Aloud and they were on fine form in two ‘solo’ sets and two collaborations with A Choired Taste (ACT).

ACT’s musical director Sarah Kirby had given plenty of thought to the concert programme.

There were dramatic powerhouse show-stoppers, a nod to traditional Welsh hymn singing, plenty of contemporary fun, moments of reflection and remembrance, celebrations of matters maternal and a general desire to be as inclusive as possible.

The first half opened with a belter with ACT and Only Men Aloud (OMA) going from nought to sixty with The Greatest Show, from the film The Greatest Showman.

And the bookend for the first half was another classic from The Greatest Show – This Is Me, which featured pupils from the Canolfan Elfed special unit for hearing impaired at the QE High School.

They received one of the biggest ovations of the night – and deservedly so.

ACT is an inclusive community choir for ladies with an age range of 16 to 80. It has grown to more than 100 choristers in its short five-year lifespan.

It’s all built on enjoyment – and that shone through in a magnificent night for the choir.

Musical director Sarah Kirby specialises in ‘mash-ups’ and the choristers excelled during their Girl Power, Hero and Happy mash-ups.

Along the way, there was also a chance to celebrate Carmarthen Amateur Operatic Society and their hit show of last year, Sister Act.

There was also a chance for Ellis Thomas, regarded as ‘our’ Billy Elliot to showcase his dancing skills.

And there was a Lyric debut for five-year-old Nansi Williams, a pupil in the Reception class at Ysgol y Dderwen, to sing Chwilio Heb ei Chael Hi.

Choreography was organised by Fran Chester. Musical support was provided by a five piece band.

Only Men Aloud were happy to play ‘second fiddle’ on a night which showcased the very best of ACT’s work, on both the musical and community fronts.

The finale saw everyone on stage for When You Believe, the Stephen Schwartz classic from the 1998 DreamWorks musical animated feature The Prince of Egypt.

No encore was needed. A packed house at The Lyric had been given a musical feast.

The compere was the Carmarthen Journal’s Robert Lloyd.

Review: Atgofion a’r Dyfodol . . . Memories and the Future organised by Ysgol Pum Heol Five Roads School at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.

They’re not short on ambition at Five Roads School . . .

Which is why they pushed the boat out for a grand concert featuring the school’s proud history and its ambitions for the future.

The future is certainly rosy for the school as a new £4.1 million school is being constructed in the village.

The look back at the past was eloquently done, performed in both Welsh and English by school pupils.

The concert was very much a ‘mixed media’ event – featuring live peformances, slideshows, radio broadcasts, a TV-style news and sports programme and special video links with VIPs and a school in Patagonia.

Ffwrnes Theatre was packed for the concert, which featured every available child from the school and plenty of guest stars.

Côr Glannau’r Gwendraeth, The Phil Harmonics and Côr Meibion Porth Tywyn Burry Port Male Voice Choir were the special guests.

The showstopper solo performance came from mezzo soprano Eilrys Myfanwy Davies.

One of the video link messages was from Sam Evans, a former pupil of the school who was the winner of TV’s Big Brother show in 2013.

The compere for the evening was Radio Cymru’s Marc Griffiths.

You couldn’t fault the show for lacking ambition.

The only downside was the running time. At three and three-quarter hours, most adults were ready for bed. The children, to give them credit, were impeccably behaved throughout, right up until Hen Wlad fy Nhadau.

Cue drum roll for a big concert coming up at The Lyric in Carmarthen on Friday night.

A Choired Taste will be marking their fifth anniversary with a concert featuring guest stars Only Men Aloud.

Curtain up is at 7.30pm on Friday and there are only a handful of tickets remaining.

A Choired Taste is an inclusive community choir for ladies with an age range of 16 to 80.

The choir was formed in September, 2014, by Sarah Kirby (Sarah Thomas) to enable ladies to come and sing for pleasure and meet new people.

Sarah said: “The benefits of singing are well known and all of our members have felt this in one way or another.

“Since its formation, the membership has grown from 40 members to more than 100.

“We have a wide repertoire and we have performed at various functions and concerts for the following – Carmarthen Journal Community Awards, Inner Wheel Coffee Mornings, CAOS (Carmarthen Amateur Operatic Society), Carmarthenshire Federation of WI’s, Burry Port Brass Band, Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin, Meidrim Chapel and Cartref Cynnes.

“A highlight of 2018 was when members of the choir joined CAOS as the Nun’s Chorus in their very successful production of Sister Act.

“We are a non-profit making organisation and as such rely on membership to pay for rehearsal space and the general running of the choir.

“We have held fund-raising events for local charities, including a Craft Fayre and Concert, where we raised £1500 for the Special Care Baby Unit in Glangwili Hospital and Alzheimer’s.

“We have previously donated money to the Breast Cancer Unit at Prince Philip Hospital, Meningitis Now, Breakthro’ Carmarthen, Macmillan Nurses and Canolfan Elfed and Myrddin Special Units. In 2016 and 2018, members took part in the Llanelli Race for Life.

Sarah is Assistant Head of Music at Queen Elizabeth High School.

In her ‘spare’ time, Sarah also runs a piano school called ‘Kirby’s Keys’, teaching more than 50 primary and secondary school pupils each week.

In 2016, Sarah was presented with a BBC Music Hero Award.

Sarah and her husband Gareth were recently presented with a special Community Award by the Mayor of Carmarthen, in recognition of their contribution to music-making and charity work. Sarah has been involved in a countless number of shows since she was 15, both in the ‘pit’ and on stage.

Regular theatre-goers in Carmarthen will remember her portrayal of ‘Mother Superior’ in the CAOS production of Sister Act.

Guest stars Only Men Aloud need little introduction as they have been delighting audiences around the world for more than 18 years.

They were formed in 2000, with the hope they could inject some new life and blood into the Welsh Male Choir tradition.

The men have become well known for their strong vocals and their varied and eclectic repertoire.

A typical OMA concert will feature many different styles of music – Welsh hymns and folk songs, Opera and Musical Theatre, all the way to Swing and Pop.

Other guests on the bill on Friday night include Nansi Williams and Ellis Thomas.

Nansi is just five, is from Carmarthen and is a pupil in the Reception class at Ysgol y Dderwen.

Nansi enjoys singing and music and recently competed at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Cardiff in the cerdd dant solo competition for ages eight and under.

Ellis Thomas is 16 and is known as Carmarthen’s Billy Elliot.

Ellis has been dancing since May, 2013. He is hoping to take on the next part of his dance journey when he will go to college to study dance in September, following his GCSEs.

Here he will dance for at least 18 hours a week, preparing him for when he sets off to a prestige university, where his dance career will further flourish.

Ellis has danced in competitions across the UK and in Paris. He was awarded the “Most Promising Dancer” at the Ultimate Dance Victory Competition.

Ellis is also participating in Competitive All-star Cheerleading and has been doing so for the past two years. Recently, Ellis travelled to Florida where he competed in the International Cheer Union, also known as “Worlds”. Ellis returned home with the silver medal, which he sees as one of his best accomplishments as he was representing Team Wales.

If you are in the audience at the Lyric on Friday night, then you might also recognise the compere. It will be the author of this column!

In other news, Burry Port Town Band will stage an evening of ‘Music from the Stage and Shows!’ at the Memorial Hall on Saturday, July 20, 7pm.

The concert will feature the Senior Band, the ever-growing Junior Band and a very special guest artist, Samuel Wyn-Morris.

Bridget Radford’s two choirs, Lleisiau Hardd and Lleisiau Hardd Bach, will be staging their annual concert at St Mary’s Church, Burry Port, on Friday, July 12, 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 and available from choristers.

The choristers from Llandyfaelog-based Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi are getting ready for their annual concert.

It will be at the Princess Gwenllian Centre in Kidwelly on Saturday, October 12, 7pm.

The choir will be joined by Gwendraeth Valley’s Côr Meibion Mynydd Mawr. The evening will also feature special guests Pantel and Trio.

Trio are a male vocal group from Snowdonia – formed by renowned pianist/accompanist Annette Bryn Parri in 2012. The group gave its first public performance at Galeri Caernarfon in June 2013. The standing ovation at Galeri led, not only to a number of concerts in 2013 and 2014, but also to the release of the group’s first CD in August 2014.

Their songs are often heard on Radio Cymru programmes. They made their TV debut at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Denbigh (2013).

The Noson Lawen (S4C) programme in which they appeared was dedicated to Hogia’r Wyddfa, one of Wales’ most popular groups, a group that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013.

Since then, Trio have appeared on Pnawn Da (S4C) and Heno (S4C). Trio are Emyr Wyn Gibson, Bedwyr Gwyn Parri and Steffan LLoyd Owen.

Finally, two other bits of concert news –

A reminder that Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir have postponed their annual concert, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 29, at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. The choir committee are in the process of redrafting their events calendar following the retirement of musical director D Eifion Thomas. A list of forthcoming Côr Meibion Llanelli engagements will appear here in due course.

The Gwyl Cerdd Dant Cymru fund-raising Gala Concert is at
Llanelli’s Greenfield Baptist Church on Friday, July 12. The evening offers a feast of choral music and there will be four choirs – Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm and Harmoni, both under the baton of Catrin Hughes, Côr Meibion
Llanelli and Côr Ysgol Dewi Sant.

The concert will feature some excellent young soloists, including award-winning tenor Osian Bowen from Burry Port, now studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff. Also on stage will be five singers from Loud Applause Rising Stars, including Nikkila Thomas and Ysgol Y Strade pupils Lauren Fisher, James Oakley, Daisy Owens and Jack Owens.

• If you have news about the choral or concert scene in Llanelli, email robert.lloyd01@walesonline.co.uk or rlloydpr@btinternet.com

There’s a special charity concert at Tumble Hall in the Gwendraeth on Friday (7pm).

It’s billed as Ellie’s Journey and will feature a wonderful mix of local talent, singers, musicians and dancers.

Harmoni, the choir led by Catrin Hughes, are on the bill together with Côr Ysgol yr Hendy, Pontarddulais Town Band and Loud Applause Rising Stars singers Lauren Fisher, Daisy Owens and Osian Clarke.

Tickets are £10 and the compere for the evening is Heddyr Gregory.

It’s a busy week for Osian Clarke.

He was invited to sing for the Board of Directors and principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) – the only one selected from the RWCMD Junior Conservatoire voice course.

Then, on Friday, he will take part in a Cardiff Singer of the World Masterclass with Dame Felicity Lott.

It’s also been a busy time and another Osian – Burry Port tenor Osian Wyn Bowen.

Last week, he took part in the prestigious Ian Stoutzker Prize Final at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD).

He followed that with his house debut with Welsh National Opera in their production of Fidelio, playing ‘Jaquino’.

The production, directed by Sir David Pountney and conducted by Lothar Koenigs, was on the Donald Gordon Stage at the Wales Millennium Centre.

It seems the youth of West Wales are really in the spotlight for there’s more good news for members of Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS).

Founder member Samuel Wyn-Morris has been invited to Vancouver, Canada, this October to perform for the Vancouver Welsh Society, who are hosting the 90th Anniversary celebrations of Cambrian Hall, the only Welsh Hall built for the purpose of sharing Welsh culture with communities in North America.

The weekend activities feature an informal Noson Lawen on Friday, October 4, a celebration concert on the evening of Saturday, October 5 and a Gymanfa Ganu on Sunday afternoon, October 6. Sam will be performing in all three events.

Next week at The Lyric in Carmarthen there’s a big concert which should be a sell-out.

A Choired Taste will be marking their fifth anniversary with a concert featuring guest stars Only Men Aloud.

It is at The Lyric at 7.30pm on Friday, June 28.

Only Men Aloud have been delighting audiences around the world for well over 15 years.

Nearly 10 years ago, they were named BBC One’s Last Choir Standing and this led to an album deal with Universal Records. In 2010, they won a Classical Brit Award for Best Album of the Year.

They have toured every year since winning the show, all around the world and have worldwide record sales of over 300,000.

The Llanelli District Music and Drama Club’s final event for this season will feature The Welsh Chamber Orchestra.

They will be performing for the first time in Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, on Tuesday June 25, 7.30pm

Tickets £12; Students £5 are available from the theatre.

All of the music played by the WCO will be by composers from the west who have incorporated themes from the east over a period of 350 years, including Handel, Lully, Mozart, Beethoven and Weber.

Latest news from Llandybie Male Voice Choir is that the choristers will be holding their annual concert on Friday, June 21, at 7pm in Llandybie Memorial Hall, with the help of Côr Meibion Dinefwr and artists Gareth James (Baritone) and a young local girl Cerys Tommason-James.

Admission will £10 by programme and can be obtained from choristers or at the door.

Burry Port Town Band will stage an evening of ‘Music from the Stage and Shows!’ at the Memorial Hall on Saturday, July 20, 7pm.

The concert will feature the Senior Band, the ever-growing Junior Band and a very special guest artist in Samuel Wyn-Morris.

The Gwyl Cerdd Dant Cymru this year is being held in Llanelli.

Fundraising is gathering speed to ensure its success.

The chair of the Gwyl Cerdd Dant Llanelli a’r Cylch is Catrin Hughes, who is also a music advisor and trustee of the Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) charity.

In support of their fundraising, LARS is organising a big Gala Concert at Llanelli’s Greenfield Baptist Church on Friday, July 12.

The evening offers a feast of choral music and there will be four choirs – Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm and Harmoni, both under the baton of Catrin Hughes, Côr Meibion Llanelli and Côr Ysgol Dewi Sant.

The concert will feature some excellent young soloists, including award-winning tenor Osian Wyn Bowen.

Also on stage will be five singers from LARS – mezzo soprano Nikkila Thomas, who is at the RWCMD in Cardiff, and Ysgol Y Strade pupils Lauren Fisher, James Oakley, Daisy Owens and Jack Owens. They will be accompanied by Catrin Hughes and Andrew Pike.

The organiser are anticipating a big demand for tickets, which are available from choir members, Cadno Music in John Street, Llanelli, or by contacting tickets@loudapplauserisingstars.co.uk or Cerith Owens 07854 303918.

In other news, Bridget Radford’s two choirs, Lleisiau Hardd and Lleisiau Hardd Bach, will be staging their annual concert at St Mary’s Church, Burry Port, on Friday, July 12, 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 and available from choristers.

The choristers from Llandyfaelog-based Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi are getting ready for their annual concert. It will be at the Princess Gwenllian Centre in Kidwelly on Saturday, October 12, 7pm. The choir will be joined by Gwendraeth Valley’s Côr Meibion Mynydd Mawr.

The evening will also feature special guests Pantel and Trio.

Trio are a male vocal group from Snowdonia – formed by renowned pianist/accompanist Annette Bryn Parri in 2012. The group gave its first public performance at Galeru Caernarfon in June 2013. The standing ovation at Galeri led, not only to a number of concerts in 2013 and 2014, but also to the release of the group’s first CD in August 2014.

Their songs are often heard on Radio Cymru programmes.

They made their TV debut at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Denbigh (2013).

The Noson Lawen (S4C) programme in which they appeared was dedicated to Hogia’r Wyddfa, one of Wales’ most popular groups, a group that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013.

Since then, Trio have appeared on Pnawn Da (S4C) and Heno (S4C). Trio are Emyr Wyn Gibson, Bedwyr Gwyn Parri and Steffan LLoyd Owen.

Ammanford’s Miner’s Theatre will feature The Siren Sisters on July 6 (3pm)

The Siren Sisters are known as a blonde, brunette and red head combo, crooning tunes from the 30s, 40s and 50s.

Think blue birds, white cliffs and apple blossom . . .

They follow in the footsteps of the Andrews, Boswell and Dinning Sisters and will have you tapping your toes and humming along to the nostalgic tunes of yesteryear.

Finally, Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir have postponed their annual concert, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 29, at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.

The choir committee are in the process of redrafting their events calendar following the retirement of musical director D Eifion Thomas.

A list of forthcoming Côr Meibion Llanelli engagements will appear here in due course.

• If you have news about the choral scene in Llanelli, email robert.lloyd01@walesonline.co.uk or rlloydpr@btinternet.com