Exploring friendship, community and the etiquette of mourning, The Revlon Girl is a comedic and poignant true story.
Aberfan 1966.
A mountain of coal waste tips and slides into Pantglas Junior School and 19 houses.
144 people are killed.
116 are children.
This November, the OSO Arts Centre in South West London will revive Neil Anthony Docking’s The Revlon Girl. Set eight months following the Aberfan Disaster of 1966 (in which 144 people were killed; 116 of the children), The Revlon Girl tells the true story of a group of bereaved mothers who met above a local hotel to talk, cry and begin to heal together. At one of their meetings, afraid that they had let themselves go, the women secretly arranged for a representative from Revlon to come and give them a talk on beauty tips.
This revival of this Olivier nominated, critically acclaimed* comic tragedy not only addresses the systemic failings and political injustice that led towards one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history, but it reminds its audience of the human cost when those in power deliberately ignore the ‘underclasses’. With the recent Grenfell Inquiry findings, and frequent footage of parents digging for their children under the rubble of collapsed schools in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine, never could a production feel timelier.
Directed by OSO Artistic Director Lydia Sax (Once Upon a Bridge, Sabbath, A Hundred Words for Snow), this revival is created by the team behind the recent successful sold-out production of Once Upon a Bridge (featured on Sky News, ITV News, The Guardian), including Producer Charlie Robertson (Once Upon a Bridge, Dot Dot Dot Dash), Set and Costume Designer Hannah Danson (Once Upon a Bridge, Sabbath, Sound of Roots) and Lighting and Sound designer Jonny Danciger (Once Upon a Bridge, Money Go Round, Johnny Got his Gun). The design aims to subtly evoke the shape of the coal spill itself, using a bespoke backdrop, and contrasting evocative lighting and sound, referencing how the extent of the tragedy defined the lives of the people in Aberfan for generations.
“I shall never forget what I saw that day on television… Now I shall never forget the play” (Clare Brennan, The Observer)
Listings
The Revlon Girl: 6-9 November (7.30pm) and 9-10 November (3.30pm).
OSO Arts Centre | 49 Station Road | Barnes | London | SW13 0LF
Run time 1hr 30 (Including Interval)
Age Guidance 15+
Tickets: The Revlon Girl
Further Information: The Revlon Girl by Neil Anthony Docking