Haverfordwest

Georgia Coles-Riley’s new play Haverfordwest follows a group of teenagers at the end of their A-Levels. It touches briefly on topics of sexuality, anxiety about the future, and the general angst of the end of adolescence.

Some of the dialogue is brilliantly written, although elsewhere it’s quite simplistic. That’s the problem with the play in general; it’s very changeable. At the best of times, it’s witty, clever, satirical and interesting, but as soon as the flow gets going, it seems to take a sudden dive into patronising cliché.

The performances are similar – veering from touching and humorous to shallow and dull thanks to confused direction. Matt Mckeever, who gets the part of Rhys spot on, fares best amongst the cast, exhibiting assured vocal and physical work. But he’s let down by his unconvincing co-stars, resulting in a lack of sexual tension, emotional depth or realism.

The play fizzles out completely in the end, and some of the more intriguing topics, such as the sexual orientation of one of the female characters, just aren’t explored.

On the whole, this piece feels under prepared. While the writing has potential, the creatives and company should have spent longer workshopping it into a more presentable state.

– Chris Wheeler