The play The Revlon Girl is returning to The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre in Newport for performances marking the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.
The theatre will stage the play on Tuesday 20 October at 7.30pm and on Wednesday 21 October at 2pm and 7.30pm, on the eve of the anniversary and on the anniversary itself.
Written by Welsh playwright Neil Anthony Docking, The Revlon Girl tells the true story of a group of mothers affected by the Aberfan disaster who met each week above the Aberfan Hotel to support one another through their grief.
In the play, the women secretly invite a representative from Revlon to share beauty tips, creating an evening of laughter, companionship and a brief escape from their sorrow.
The production returns to The Riverfront ten years after audiences first saw it there, as part of its 10th anniversary tour.
Since its debut in 2016, the play has toured Wales, been staged at the Edinburgh Festival and transferred to a sell-out London run. It received five Off West End Award nominations, won the Offie for Best New Play and earned an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement.
The production, which has an all-female cast, received four-star reviews from WhatsOnStage, which said: “Cast perform as a perfectly coordinated ensemble throughout”, and from The Independent, which called it: “A remarkably warm, sorrowful, and at times even funny drama”.
After the evening performance on Tuesday 20 October, Newport’s Jayne Bryant MS will host a post-show Q&A with members of the company behind the play.
The discussion will explore the development of the play, its enduring impact and the importance of sharing the Aberfan story with new generations. It will take place in The Riverfront’s Upstairs Bar, where audience members will be able to ask their own questions.
Tickets are available now from The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre.
The Riverfront is run by Newport Live, a not-for-profit distribution organisation and registered charity that delivers services through a partnership with Newport City Council.
