Michael Sheen has returned to Wales Millennium Centre, bringing his unmissable, career-defining performance as Aneurin “Nye” Bevan back to the iconic Donald Gordon Theatre.
This National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre co-production is back by popular demand, a testament to its rapturous reception the first time around in 2024. From the moment the lights dim, it’s a full house that watches Michael Sheen take to a strange, surreal stage. With his symbolic pyjamas and signature sweeping hair, we meet Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan on his deathbed.
What follows is a journey back through time, and a series of morphine-induced dreams that transport us to turn-of-the-century Tredegar and beyond. The play is an epic Welsh fantasia, and at its heart is a performance that’s arguably Sheen’s greatest yet.
The production is a masterclass in its craft. The ensemble cast rearranges scenes using only props from Nye’s semi-conscious state, with 1960’s style NHS beds transforming into platforms and portals. Sound and projection are central to that fluid storytelling, and the play is punctuated by sporadic sound of a heart monitor. A constant, poignant reminder that we’re in the very hospital he built, in his mind. This is enhanced by Jon Driscoll’s striking projection designs, which add a modern, cinematic layer to the historical narrative.
Sheen’s portrayal is a triumph, displaying a profound vulnerability and tenacity as he manages to convey Nye as a young boy growing up in south Wales and a formidable Political adult in the same breath. In many ways Sheen’s life mirrors Nye’s, beyond the obvious simlitudes between the two Welsh legends, it’s perhaps the death of Nye’s father which is the most poignant parallel. After learning that Sheen lost his own father earlier this year, his ability to relive that fragile moment on stage with such tenacity is admirable. Speaking on the play’s emotional resonance, Sheen has said that for anyone who’s lost a parent, the play “resonates fiercely.” It’s this ability to connect to the material on such a deep, personal level that makes his portrayal all the more compelling.
Beyond the lead, the supporting cast is brilliant, with the formidable Jennie Lee played by Sharon Small and lifelong companion Archie Lush portrayed by Jason Hughes. The chemistry between Sheen and Hughes is palpable, a reflection of their own decades-long friendship which adds an undeniable warmth to the stage.
Written by Tim Price, the script is full of the nuanced Welsh-isms and valleys humour that you’d expect, providing comic relief to the production’s darker moments.
Nye is more than a play, it’s a stirring and vital affirmation of what can be achieved through conviction and collective will. Sheen has previously called Bevan’s trajectory “nothing short of astounding,” noting how he “smashed through barriers, time and again.” This play reminds us that democracy isn’t inevitable, it’s built by people who aspire to serve.
Sitting amongst the crowd in Cardiff, It’s hard to picture an audience outside of Wales feeling that same fervent sense of pride that remains indescribable to the Welsh. A sort of hiraeth only we can explain. Nye Bevan is, after all, an icon of Great Britain, but first and foremost a proud Welshman.
As I’m leaving I over-hear 3 women ‘talking shop’ and reminiscing as former nurses in the NHS. I ask them, ‘if you could meet Nye today, what would you say to him?’ ‘That’s easy,’ they tell me. ‘There’s only one thing any of us would say to Nye, Diolch!’
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