In The Bleak Midwinter, The Stage

I sit down here, is it?

Miriam, entering a stable in Bethlehem - not a million miles from Cardiff - addresses a woman who has a baby sleeping in the manger. What's its name? she asks. Oh, Jesus - we were going to call ours that.

Eastern Angles' new production staged here at ST Edmunds Hall, is a modern medieval mystery play by Charles Way. It features a cast of four: David Boughton-Davies as Zac, a trusting, simple Welsh shepherd who is somewhat hen-pecked by Nia Davies as his wife, Miriam. Mak, a casual sheep stealer, and Gill, his easygoing companion, are played by Philip Michell and Delyth Eirwyn.

All clamber round a small section of the Black Mountains in search of Bethlehem's tax office and the meaning of life. Director Ivan Cutting appreciates the simple strength of Way's material, and his cast responds magnificently. It is easy to imagine the profound effect that the original mystery plays might have exercised over their predominantly rural audiences.

In addition to her plastic mountain set, Dora Schweitzer has created a simple fabric cloud effect, strung on a diagonal line which also serves as a washing line, a stable divider and, at the end of the show, an effective white pinpoint Plough constellation.

The cast provide all the music (a mixture of carols and original material by Pat Whymark) and wind noises, and play several roles. An extremely lifelike lamb threatens to steal the show on every appearance, but the company is more than able to keep it in its place.

Hugh Homan