THERE’S been a warm welcome in Llanelli for the return of a singing group tailored specifically for people with dementia, their friends and families.

The Welsh National Opera’s Cradle Choir initiative was launched at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, last year.

It has now returned to action after the festive break, with the first session held yesterday (Tuesday).

Future sessions are on Tuesdays for the next six weeks.

Welsh National Opera (WNO) is partnering with Carmarthenshire Theatres (Theatrau Sir Gar) and Ffwrnes for the project.

The Cradle Choir initiative expands on existing choirs in Milford Haven and Llandeilo.

WNO Cradle Choirs are for people living with dementia, their friends and families and aim to provide fun, inclusive sessions where daily challenges and cares can be left at the door and connections made and enabled through the joy of community singing.

Cradle Choirs have proved to be significant hubs for social connection within the community. They encourage participants to step out of their typical daily routine with a dose of singing.

The Cradle Choir project is part of the wider WNO Cradle scheme which seeks to raise awareness of the disease within schoolchildren, through a variety of workshops.

Sessions in Llanelli are led by David Fortey (Cradle Choir Vocal Leader) and pianist Mark Jones, who will incorporate a wide range of music from stage and screen to folk songs and popular music.

After the sessions, there are refreshments and an opportunity to socialise with other members of the choir.

WNO Producer Jennifer Hill said: “Members of our existing choirs in Milford Haven and Llandeilo tell us how much they value the companionship and fun they have singing together on a weekly basis and so being able to further extend the reach to another area and a more urban setting is very exciting.

“We’ve been very lucky to have support on the ground from fantastic people and organisations who are embedded in their communities and hope to be able to add to their amazing work.”

If you would like to find out more about the Cradle Project or are interested in joining one of the choirs, please contact Jennifer Hill at jennifer.hill@wno.org.uk

Sessions in Llanelli are at 2pm on the following dates – January 23 and 30, February 6, 13, 20 and 27.

Meanwhile, Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli has been picked as a venue for a touring production of Verdi’s Macbeth.

One of Shakespeare’s greatest plays is also one of Verdi’s greatest operas.

Mid Wales Opera is staging its first-ever production of Macbeth as the culmination of its Shakespeare Season.

You will be able to experience a gripping tale of power, manipulation and tragic descent as Macbeth, a valiant general, succumbs to his wife’s persuasion, leading to a ruthless quest for the Scottish throne.

Verdi’s magnificent score, with its sweeping melodies and intricate harmonies, propels the psychologically thrilling narrative, whilst Act 4 introduces a modern twist with the haunting chorus of refugees.

The opera will be sung in English. The Mid Wales Opera company will be accompanied by Ensemble Cymru and a large cast will be supplemented by community choruses.

The opera will be staged at Ffwrnes on March 19. Tickets are £20 and £18.

Macbeth will feature Welsh Soprano Mari Wyn Williams and Canadian-born Jean-Kristof Bouton.

Meanwhile, Carmarthen-based ladies choir A Choired Taste have resumed rehearsals during their 10^thanniversary year.

The choir is conducted by Sarah Kirby and has built up an excellent reputation throughout west Wales during the last 10 years.

The choristers are particularly proud of their fundraising work for local charities.

Fortnightly rehearsals started this week. Future rehearsal dates are – Mondays, 7-9pm) on January 29, February 5 and 19 and March 4 and 18.

A choir spokesman said: “It is our 10th year anniversary so there’s lots of exciting things to come this year. New members are always welcome, aged 15-plus.

“It’s a great way to meet friends, be involved in the community, start a new hobby, make you feel good.”

The choir rehearses in Christ Church Hall in Carmarthen.

If you want to find out more, email achoiredtaste2014@gmail.com

You can also check out the choir’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/achoiredtastecarms

In other news, a Llanelli-based company called Scarlet Musical Theatre Productions will be making a much-anticipated debut next month.

The classic coming-of-age rock musical Spring Awakening will be the first full-scale production for Scarlet Musical Theatre.

The show is being staged at Stiwdio Stepni at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli on February 22 and 23.

With music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, Spring Awakening is based on the controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind.

Spring Awakening contains partial nudity and sexual content, as well as explicit language. It is recommended for an audience of 16 and over.

Tickets for the February performances in the intimate Stidwio Stepney space are £12.

In March, a brand new musical, produced by National Theatre Wales, is coming to Llanelli.

Feral Monster is described as a ‘banging new musical about an unremarkable teenager’.

It will be staged at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, on Wednesday, March 13 (7pm).

Feral Monster is written by Bethan Marlow and directed by Izzy Rabey, with music by Nicola T Chang.

The cast features Lily Beau, Carys Eleri, Geraint Rhys Edwards, Rebecca Hayes, Nathaniel Leacock and Leila Navabi.

Tickets are available from Carmarthenshire Theatres, Theatrau Sir Gar, or from the website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk/

“THE trouble with kids* today, eh?”

How often do we hear people tut-tutting and complaining about the younger generation?

Quite often, I guess, when you see random ‘feral’ gangs hanging around street corners.

But it is worth reminding ourselves that the vapers and alcopop-swiggers are a minority.

Most children today are polite, respectful and a credit to their parents and schoolteachers.

There was ample evidence of this fact at a public speaking competition held in Llanelli this week.

Children, as young as 12 and no older than 16, took part in the annual Rotary Youth Speaks competition.

The competition starts with club-level heats, building up to area, district and then national finals.

The competitors in the Llanelli Rotary Club competition were bidding to take the first steps in following the example set by three pupils from Carmarthen’s QE High School, who won the national final last year.

Violet Lloyd, Anna Duffy and Holly Whittal-Williams were the Senior team winners in the final of the Rotary Great Britain and Ireland Youth Speaks Competition, which took place in Rugby, Warwickshire.

In the main hall of Llanelli’s St John Lloyd Catholic Comprehensive School on Tuesday night, the opening debates in the club-level competition tackled some thought-provoking subjects.

Is Net Zero a curse?

Is space exploration a worthy investment?

Is homework an unnecessary burden on today’s youth?

Should we try and actively limit the population of the planet?

They were topics which would leave some seasoned politicians struggling, but the youngsters debated the pros and cons of the subjects in timed 15-minute sessions.

In some cases, the pupils gave their arguments For and Against without any notes – and with little sign of public speaking nerves.

And, if that wasn’t enough of a test, they had to field a random ‘audience question’, thinking on their feet to deliver a response.

At the age of 12, I could barely deliver a coherent thought at the family dinner table, let alone to a large audience.

So, like many others in the audience at St John Lloyd School, I was filled with admiration for the way the youngsters conducted themselves.

In an age when some people are quick to condemn youngsters for being products of the Playstation and iPhone Age, it was a tonic to see how the pupils had researched their arguments, carefully tip-toeing around the traps of ‘Fake News’ to produce sensible opinions around their chosen subjects.

The ambition of the Rotary competition is to help pupils build self-confidence and develop public speaking skills.

On the evidence of Tuesday evening, that’s two ticks in the success column.

There’s also a third tick as the youngsters taught this old hack a few tricks about public speaking!

* I had to wrestle long and hard about the use of the word kids in the opening sentence of this column. As a young ‘indentured’ trainee/cub reporter, I was always instructed to avoid the word.

“Kids,” my first editor always shouted at me, “are young goats, boy, not children! On this newspaper, we use the word children, not kids!”

———————————————————————-

THE departure of the great JPR Williams from the field of play came as a shock to all who loved and admired the ‘hard as nails’ Welsh rugby full-back.

There are those of us who grew up as teenagers in the 1970s, looking up to JPR and the great Welsh Grand Slam players as sporting idols.

For many years, JPR kept a holiday caravan at Hillend next to Llangennith Beach, Gower.

The sight of JPR chilling out with a relaxing jog along the beach was one which stirred the memory banks, conjuring up flashback images of the No15 in his pomp – flowing hair, sideburns and rolled down socks, bursting through defences and then chasing back in time to deliver bone-crunching tackles.

In your head, of course, all those JPR memories are accompanied by the soundtrack of a commentary by the great Bill McLaren.

Those were the days, eh? Rugby’s golden age.

In the JPR hit parade, who could forget that steam train shoulder charge of French wing Jean-François Gourdon in 1976?

Who could say they weren’t left furious by the incident which left JPR looking like ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ after being stamped on by a New Zealand prop while playing for Bridgend against the All Blacks in 1978?

And who is ever likely to forget the two brilliant tries he scored against England in 1976?

In 1972, in the epic 35-12 defeat of Scotland in Cardiff, JPR was forced to leave the field with a fractured jaw.

A friend, who shared a birthday with JPR, swears that after the match a ‘repaired’ full-back turned up for post-match drinks at The Angel Hotel in Cardiff. I, for one, will happily believe that story.

As a full-back, JPR was . . . well . . .simply colossal.

That he should be taken from us by something as random as bacterial meningitis (annual incidence in the UK being 1 in 100,000) is particularly cruel.

It is, however, a sharp reminder that the Grim Reaper stalks us all.

RIP JPR.

A NEW Llanelli-based company called Scarlet Musical Theatre Productions will be making a much-anticipated debut next month.

The classic coming-of-age rock musical Spring Awakening will be the first full-scale production for Scarlet Musical Theatre.

The show is being staged at Stiwdio Stepni at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli on February 22 and 23.

With music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, Spring Awakening is based on the controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind.

Set in 19th-century Germany, the musical tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of adolescent sexuality.

The original play was written sometime between autumn 1890 and spring 1891, but did not receive its first performance until 1906, when it premiered at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin under the direction of Max Reinhardt.

The play criticises perceived problems in the sexually-oppressive culture of 19th century Germany and offers a vivid dramatisation of the erotic fantasies that can breed in such an environment. Because of its controversial subject matter, the play has often been banned or censored.

In the musical version, alternative rock is employed alongside traditional folk music to give added impact to a powerful story.

The original Broadway production of the musical of Spring Awakening opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in 2006.

The production won eight Tony Awards, including Tonys for Best Musical, Direction, Book, Score and Featured Actor.

The show was revived in 2015 on Broadway and garnered three furtherTony Award nominations, among other honours.

Spring Awakening contains partial nudity and sexual content, as well as explicit language. It is recommended for an audience of 16 and over.

Tickets for the February performances in the intimate Stidwio Stepney space are £12.

Meanwhile, in March, a brand new musical, produced by National Theatre Wales, is coming to Llanelli.

Feral Monster is described as a ‘banging new musical about an unremarkable teenager’.

It will be staged at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, on Wednesday, March 13 (7pm).

Feral Monster is written by Bethan Marlow and directed by Izzy Rabey, with music by Nicola T Chang.

The cast features Lily Beau, Carys Eleri, Geraint Rhys Edwards, Rebecca Hayes, Nathaniel Leacock and Leila Navabi.

The promotional blurb for the production sets the scene . . .

‘Expelled from school and not even able to get a job at the chippy, Jax (she/they/whatever) is a cocky, loveable teen living with her Nan in a tiny, boring village.

‘When Jax meets Ffion, with her smart talk and loud looks, sparks fly.

‘Queer teenage lust brings together this unlikely match in all its messy, clumsy and awesome glory.

‘Feral Monster follows Jax and her noisy, opinionated brain as they navigate love, identity, class and family.

‘Mashing up grime, Rhythm and Blues, soul, pop and rap, the soundtrack moves from the high highs to low lows of the hormonal rollercoaster of adolescence.’

Feral Monster is supported by the Performing Right Society (PRS) Foundation’s Open Fund and John Ellerman Foundation, as part of National Theatre Wales’s Dramaturg programme.

Tickets are available from Carmarthenshire Theatres, Theatrau Sir Gar, or from the website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk/

In January and February, two Carmarthenshire Theatres venues will be playing host to the popular Bronwen Lewis, who is bringing her ‘More from The Living Room’ tour to The Lyric in Carmarthen and Ffwrnes in Llanelli.

Following her hugely successful 2022 tour, Bronwen will be back, recreating the magic of her virtual gigs live on stage.

Bronwen will be performing a new selection of her favourite songs intertwined with endearing storytelling.

The multi-instrumentalist and Tik-Tok sensation showcases a varied repertoire including a new selection of her original songs.

The Welsh singer-songwriter has a wonderfully warm style that sits between Country, Pop, Folk and Blues. She is proudly bilingual and received international acclaim during her time on BBC’s The Voice when she brought Tom Jones to tears. Bronwen also starred in and sang the theme song ‘Bread and Roses’ in the BAFTA Award Winning film ‘Pride’.

The Lyric concert is on January 27. The Ffwrnes concert is on February 17.

In February, The Lyric will be playing host to the touring production of The Elvis Years.

Now in its 20th year, The Elvis Years, led by original West End lead Mario Kombou, will be on its biggest ever tour of the UK.

The stunning show takes the audience on a fantastic journey through all the years The King ruled the airwaves.

With a full cast of West End talent, a spectacular set, breath-taking lights and awesome video content, Mario and the band deliver more than 50 golden greats, charting the rise and rise of the boy from Tupelo – from the early hits That’s Alright Mama, Don’t Be Cruel and I Got Stung all the way through to the legendary Las Vegas concerts with In the Ghetto, The Wonder of You and of course Suspicious Minds.

With more than 12 costume changes, Mario brings the essence of Elvis to every song from every era – the Ed Sullivan Show featuring A Fool Such As I, the Frank Sinatra TV Special including It’s Now or Never, the Hollywood years with Return to Sender and Viva Las Vegas, and the legendary ’68 Comeback Special with If I Can Dream.

The Elvis Years will be at The Lyric on February 23.

A HULLABALOO OVER WHO PLAYED WHO IN ‘ZULU’

You know by now I’m not a TV addict who watches soaps or ‘reality’ shows.

While I usually avoid anything with ‘Celebrity’ in the title, I recently watched one that made me laugh out loud – although I doubt the producers of “Celebrity Mastermind” intended it to.

I roared as four ‘celebs’ who I (and 80% of viewers) didn’t recognise, failed to answer a series of stupefyingly simple questions along the lines of, “In the nursery rhyme, what type of creature was Incy Wincy?”

When I tell you the specialist subject of one ‘celeb’ was ‘My House’ and they failed to score one point, that’ll give you an idea of how hilarious it was.

But I digress . . .

That wonderful provider of vintage films and TV shows, the Talking Pictures TV channel, recently broadcast a short tribute to the stars who passed away in 2023, which I found both moving and shocking.

We lose stars every year, but 2023 was particularly cruel.

Here’s just a few . . .

Barry Humphries. Tony Bennett. Tina Turner. Mike Yarwood. Joss Ackland. Michael Gambon. Michael Parkinson. Raquel Welch. Sinead O’Connor. Paul O’Grady. Matthew Perry. Vince Hill. Shirley Anne Field. Richard ‘Shaft’ Roundtree. Tom Wilkinson. Glenda Jackson.

All gone – never to be replaced.

On New Year’s Eve, we lost actor David Kernan, well-known in the West End for shows like “Side By Side By Sondheim”. He also appeared in the 1964 film “Zulu” – although he wasn’t supposed to!

When the cast and crew were on the plane flying out to Natal to make the film, the star and co-producer Stanley Baker introduced himself to everyone in turn, rejoined director Cy Endfield at the front and whispered, “I know all the actors, except him”, looking over at David Kernan.

Cy said: “He’s the guy you asked for. From the TV show “That Was The Week That Was”. The one whose surname starts with a ‘K’.

Stanley slumped back in his seat and sighed, “I meant Roy Kinnear!”

Which is why the part of Private Fred Hitch was played by a stage musical performer instead of the rotund comedy actor.

———————

A good start to the year.

It appears that my luck is changing and the future is looking amazingly bright.

Let me explain.

I have received a courtship proposal by email from an Ukrainian lady, 20 years younger than myself, who reassures me that her intentions are honourable and she is very keen to learn to speak English.

I’d have been slightly more impressed if she’d have said Welsh.

She seemed very keen for me to accept her proposal quickly and assured me I was the man for her.

Strangely, earlier that day I also received an email from an overseas legal firm informing me that a legal loophole had been found which meant that they had chosen me to be party to a $1,000,000 inheritance.

To proceed, I simply needed to supply my full name and bank details.

How amazing is that?

With all the doom and gloom around, my luck seems to be finally changing for the better!

My only initial concern here is that my future Ukrainian love may have already had access to my emails and just be after me for my inheritance?

Surely not?

She’s promised to send me a picture of herself….

Watch this space!

IT was a former friend who once recycled the old joke of ‘A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.’

With a wit as sharp as that, it was little wonder that he cut himself out of the invitation list to every subsequent New Year’s party.

I happen to be less cynical about the new broom approach to adopting resolutions.

I’m with Charles Dickens, when he wrote, ‘A new heart for a New Year, always!’

I’m positively scornful of Oscar Wilde’s contrary view – ‘Good resolutions are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account.’

And I’m filled with admiration for Benjamin Franklin, who said, ‘Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbours, and let every New Year find you a better man.’

This being January 5^th, it is a reasonable assumption that many of you will have already cast your New Year resolutions aside, dumped unceremoniously, like the Christmas wrapping paper.

In the Lloyd household, years of experience dictate that the number of resolutions should be very few.

A couple of years ago, in this very column, I made a New Year pledge to cut down on swearing.

If you ask how that one is going today, then I will have to admit it is b—-y hard. But I have made a 70 per cent reduction in the F Department – and I am very environmentally friendly in being totally C-Free.

This year, I am being realistic and adopting the S.M.A.R.T. mnemonic acronym so loved by the performance management gurus.

Yes, my resolutions will be Smart, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

A friend (who had best remain nameless) is adopting a similar approach.

He told me, “I’ve decided I’m not going to drink any more.”

I cautioned, “That’ll be tough.”

But he smiled and replied, “Ah! But I’m not going to drink any less, mind!”

It was the same guy who, in early 2022, explained that his doctor had asked him to stop drinking.

Questioned on what his next step would be, he announced, “Obviously . . . I’m going to change my doctor!”

The suspicion is that, if he carries on in similar manner, he may not have many more New Years left to be making any sort of resolutions.

We shall have to wait and see . . .

Meanwhile, I’m sticking by three simple resolutions –

No1. Quit smoking. Should be straightforward as I haven’t had a fag since a quick puff behind the bike sheds in sixth form. I still fume occasionally, though. Usually at random news events! I refuse to be an ape with a vape.

No2. Improve my fitness. I already do a minimum 10,000 steps a day. I’m stepping it up to 20,000. The downside is that I will need to catch a bus to get home. The plus side to that snag is that I have a valid bus pass.

No3. Be kind on Facebook and X (or whatever we call Twitter nowadays). Any sensible person using social media will appreciate there’s an ever-increasing torrent of hate on all the platforms. I will continue my policy of blanking out the toxic ‘haters’ and being nice, kind and encouraging to all who deserve it.

I’ll let you all know how I’ve got on . . . in January 2025!

—————————————————————————–

IT’S something that happens frequently at this time of the year. Small things can trigger memories of people who are no longer with us.

Put it down to the reflective nature of the movement from one year to the next, the looking forward and the looking back.

For some of us, it was an animated feature film that helped provide the trigger.

My excuse is that I was babysitting a lively two-year-old and plasticine sheep provided a much-needed window of festive entertainment respite.

‘Shaun the Sheep in the Farmer’s Llamas’ was the New Year’s Day morning featured film on BBC1. Yes, it may be an animation, but it isn’t necessarily a children’s film. My grand-daughter’s choice was a very welcome one, as it happens.

But . . . it wasn’t until later in the day that I was reminded of its significant connection to this part of the world.

For the composer of the soundtrack to the Aardman film was Penclawdd-born Mark Thomas, who died in July of last year, aged 67.

Mr Thomas was a classically-trained multi-instrumentalist, proficient in virtually every style of music.

Mr Thomas composed his own unique scores for movies and television shows, often to worldwide critical acclaim. He won a Bafta award for his score to cult British comedy Twin Town, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for the theme to the BBC2 comedy series Episodes.

It was my pal Griff Harries, the musician and broadcaster and knowledgeable guide to all things west Wales, who explained more about the film score – and revealed that he’d actually played on it.

Griff said: “So many happy memories of playing on the soundtrack which was scored by my friend Mark Thomas. He passed away in 2023. What a lovely way to remember him today by listening to the music he composed and – perhaps just as importantly – to recall the fun and the good times we had working on this and many other projects. He was the most talented musician I’ve known and I miss him hugely.”

Perhaps Swansea should do more to remember the work of Mark Thomas? Just a thought.

Weather forecast for Llanelli-on-sea today is ‘more than half tidy, well up to three-quarters tidy’.

McMillan Morning Notes (early walk) –

The pipes, the pipes they are a-calling . . . for Remembrance.

Anyone for a game of upside down wall bingo?

Make caring count, especially as some think ‘they’ don’t care.

Jumbo breakfast was very Joly in Llanelli.

Nothing prepared me for the hell of being a cancer patient in Wales in 2023 –

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/found-aggressive-cancer-breastfeeding-son-28058312

Devoted dad and local rugby player dies suddenly after facing mental health challenges –

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/devoted-pontrhydyfen-dad-dies-unexpectedly-28067817

The exact locations of mobile speed camera locations in Wales for November 2023 as enforcement of 20mph law set to begin –

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/exact-locations-mobile-speed-camera-28074819

Today’s random front page is the Stoke Sentinel. #SupportYourLocalPaper #RegionalFronts #buyapaper

Today’s South Wales Echo front page. #SupportYourLocalPaper #RegionalFronts #BuyAPaper

Today’s South Wales Evening Post front page. #SupportYourLocalPaper #RegionalFronts #BuyAPaper

Today’s Western Mail front page. #SupportYourLocalPaper #RegionalFronts #buyapaper

One for my pals in the north. Today’s Daily Post front page. #SupportYourLocalPaper #RegionalFronts #BuyAPaper

Today’s playlist is a random mix from Spotify. Includes Joni Mitchell, Mumford and Sons, Dave Mason, Eric Clapton and Fleetwood Mac.

Using a hot tub has left my little girl in constant agony for two years –

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/my-daughter-skin-infection-hot-28074722

The pubs in Wales looking for new landlords and how much they will cost you –

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/pubs-wales-looking-new-landlords-28042688