Myths, despite what you may believe, are very much alive and well. While we do not always listen to their intricate messages, they are in actual fact experiencing a resurgence in popular culture. Blodeuwedd Untold, is a prime example of this. The performance  is taken from a Welsh tale and examines how these myths and stories, written centuries ago may hold the answers to our modern-day issues of global warming, female repression, and disconnection with ourselves.
Blodeuwedd is a woman of flowers, built for a man who could never have a human wife. In part, a study of language, Jo Blake’s piece serves as a reminder of how myths used to indicate a lie. With multiple layers to the performance, some may audiences members may find difficulties with the text and this is definitely a show that you need to pay attention to. However, in order to fully enjoy Blodeuwedd Untold it is best not to overthink it and sit back and enjoy the performance. The show is akin to a journey, rather than a straightforward production, with nuances of somatic movements lacing the story throughout.

Blake is remarkably in tune to the shifting of the world, conveying this in a bountiful manner. She is a paradigm of natural storytelling, yet insightful. Her story is of the earth and the flowers and snippets of our current ecological crisis. There is also a hinting at the rise of a different wave of feminism, occurring in tandem with this crisis – surely no coincidence? But this is up to the audience to decide.

Jo Blake’s Blodeuwedd Untold seeks to reclaim the agency which has taken from women, nature and mythos. This tour de force of beauty is like a slow unravelling of a grand tapestry of our cultural history. With patience, it’s an enjoyable piece of storytelling for those who are willing to listen to the message it speaks.