Our Country’s Good, which is written by Timberlake Wertenbaker and directed by Rachel O'Riordan, tells the story of the first English colony in Australia, after Britain chooses to expel its criminals on a gruelling and brutal journey half way round the world.After 8 months on a boat, the soldiers and convicts alike set up the first ‘civilisation’, living beside but never with the First Nations People.
As hangings and punishment are doled out daily for these criminals, the governor of the colony and a lieutenant decide to put on a play with some of the convicts - to try and show them humanity and get them to connect to their own humanity. And so rehearsals begin for a play, which is widely contested amongst the officers - who are hungry and longing for home as much as these criminals. The drama unfolds when officers undermine the theatrical process and some of the cast members are accused of further crimes that could see one of them hanged. But does the show go on? Does the show change the criminals and show humanity to this isolated colony of people at odds with each other? Well, you have to watch the play to find out.
While this show has great themes and motivation, it is not exactly the moving and thought provoking piece of theatre that it hopes to be. The themes of man’s brutality and ability to be rehabilitated are not shown clearly enough. Sadly, the issue is purely with the text and story itself. At times, the script feels overindulgent, with sorely missed editing and cuts which result in an almost 3-hour long show. The characters are not fleshed out in a way that would seem gratifying. Ironically, the show does a lot of telling rather than showing us the power of theatre.
We don’t have many scenes about the convicts engaging with theatre. It’s simply several scenes showing how difficult rehearsals are. But we do have multiple scenes of the soldiers debating the value and effect of this upcoming play. Then there is the seemingly tokenistic First Nations woman thrown in for the ‘savages’ perspective, acting only as an observer and narrator. Even on her own land, she is invisible and inconsequential to the play and the British.
Regardless of the action of the play, the acting in this production is excellent. In an ensemble cast of eleven, everyone has a moment to shine. As almost all of the actors play both the criminals in the play and the overbearing officers, the duality of performance from everyone is flawless and clear.
The set and costume (Gary McCann), and light design (Paul Keogan), are stunning as well. The set continues to change throughout the show, with trees being cut down or trash added everywhere. And with the use of drop lighting, each intimate moment in the play is uniquely highlighted and felt. Lastly, the modern and yet rugged costuming allows for the actors to play different roles without skipping a beat. The modernity of the costume also allows for there to be a feeling of modern day relevance. A nod that the issues in the play continue long after 1788, and further than the shores of Australia.
Overall, this play reflects back at the audience several things, all of which are valid and important: the way theatre and the arts can remind us of our own humanity, the bruality and redemption of people regardless of role or title, and also the way our society runs the penal system - and the belief that everyone is worthy of rehabilitation and dignity. However, the execution is contrived at times, with the possibility of an apathetic audience at the end.
Our Country's Good runs at the Lyric Hammersmith until 5th October. For more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Marc Brenner
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