Atlantis at Theatr Clwyd – review

What happens when home becomes something you can no longer hold on to? That question sits at the heart of Emily White’s ambitious and deeply moving Atlantis.

The play tells the story of a family from Cardigan, who fight for their community, their beliefs, and against the ever-rising sea levels of their beloved seaside town. The growing inevitability of the climate crisis looms in the background, but the heart of the production sits around kitchen tables, in family disagreements, and in moments of laughter and loss. Time moves fluidly through the piece, allowing generations to emerge before the audience’s eyes while never losing sight of the people at its centre.

Guy Jones’ direction steers these shifts smoothly, allowing time to pass by three decades’ worth of political, environmental and social conversation shifts in the span of two hours. The performances are uniformly excellent. Richard Elfyn and Vivien Parry bring enormous warmth and authenticity to Bryn and Gwen, two grandparents who have spent their entire lives protesting and facilitating a better world for future generations. Parry, in particular, brings a fiercely passionate honesty that anchors much of the production’s emotional weight.

Around them, their daughter Claire (Catrin Aaron) finds herself caught between two opposing visions of the future: Bryn’s determination to remain rooted where he is and Gwen’s relentless desire to leave before it is too late. As the years pass, their grandchildren take markedly different paths. Phillip (Alfie Llewellyn/Cole Davies Hughes) embraces family life, building a home with his wife and doting daughter, while Rhiannon (Eirlys Lovell-Jones/Emily Hughes) sacrifices her want of marriage and children to spend her life protesting.

The cast’s performances keep the production alive. While the younger performers are occasionally difficult to hear at first, they grow in confidence and bring a mighty stage presence that complements the play’s emotional core. Elfyn and Parry share a remarkable chemistry, portraying a marriage shaped by decades of shared memories, disagreements and affection. Whether sparring over the future of their home or recalling the first time they met, they create a relationship that is impossible not to invest in.

Visually, the production never loses sight of its roots. With set design by Frankie Bradshaw, ripped sheets create a coastline, garden fences become a sea-washed pier, while Josh Pharo’s subtle video transitions allow years to pass almost imperceptibly. There is a melancholy threaded through the piece, but also joy, resilience and affection. The result is a world that feels deeply familiar, even as it contemplates profound change.

There is no easy answer to the issues presented in Atlantis, and the production is all the stronger for it. Rather than offering solutions, it compels its audience to sit with uncertainty, grief and hope in equal measure. The result is a compelling piece of theatre that feels rooted in Wales while speaking to a future that belongs to us all.