Carla Turner
Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play has been a landmark for a huge number of actors and students in the past 20 years or so. Having performed in the production twice (during training), I was already very committed to the text and very excited to see Max Stafford-Clark’s revival.
The set was an accurate portrayal of the barren, dry landscape that the soldiers and convicts would have faced upon arriving in Australia. The lighting and symmetry of the set made the action very clear and did not distract from intricate text. The convicts are multi-dimensional. Their physicality hints at their previous circumstances and lives before exportation very truthfully. Matthew Needham’s Sideway was a delightful portrayal of an exhibitionist with a very obvious flip side. His explosion of rage when someone “buzzes his wiper” lets us know he’s not just about the frills and frolics. The convicts’ body language tells us of their struggle and their strength, and also, how hot it was out there.
The convicts’ new reality unravels, revealing a harsh working environment without much food. John Hollingworth’s Captain Phillip attempts to etch the new civilisation with integrity and and open heart. This quiet, yet formidable, hope and belief in humanity is captured beautifully by Hollingworth.
Dominic Thorburn plays Ralph, a hopeful and gentle soul who wishes to improve the lives of all at the colony by putting on a production of Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer. His stuttering, nervous pursuit of the convicts’ happiness and Mary’s heart is endearing. We’re rooting for him and his cause. When they succumb to their desire for each other in Act Two, Thorburn’s steady walk towards the beautiful Laura Dos Santos lets us into their secret pocket of intimacy. We see the man inside Ralph who has wanted all of her, for a long time.
Ciaran Owens’s Robbie Ross demonstrates the development of the convicts in rehearsal. His anxiety and reasoning reaches us in alliterative mastery. His deep–rooted objective to maintain discipline and order is admirable, and makes it hard for us to disagree with him at times, despite his cruelty.
Despair, death and escape from hanging are but some of the happenings in Our Country’s Good. By the final scene of Act Two, the characters have taken on a new kind of hope. They all prepare for their next step. Kathryn O’Reilly’s Liz steps into a life where she can speak and find friendship. Although hilarious, her moments up until now have only shown us a fractured and desperate human being. In contrast, Helen Bradbury’s Dabby has been very sure of herself and seemingly uncaring about their new lives. However, in this final scene, she unveils her real plan, the one she has plotted for months: her return to Devon. Her true objective is one that we glimpse, quickly, before the other characters brush it away with their excitement about the performance of The Recruiting Officer. A stunning portrayal by all involved. I want to go again!
Our Country’s Good is at St James Theatre until 23 March. More information and tickets can be found here: www.stjamestheatre.co.uk/events/our-countrys-good/
Photo credit: Our Country’s Good – Out of Joint & Octagon