A bitter wind blew an empty chip wrapper along the chewing gum-stained pavement, as the drunken revellers made their way out of the pubs and clubs of Broad Street. It was a typical Saturday night in Birmingham’s glittering theatre land and we were there to be entertained!!
Any time spent away from the sofa and the temptations of X-factor or Strictly Come Dancing is time well spent, and a visit to the theatre gave my culture-levels a much needed top-up. I would love to say that I made the long journey to Birmingham simply because my love for the theatre is so great that I would climb every mountain etc to catch a group of luvvies prancing about on stage. In all honesty though, we were there to provide moral support to my former housemate from University.
Timberlake Wertenbaker's “Our Country’s Good” is set in Botany Bay in 1789, and tells of the rehearsals for the first play to be performed in Australia. A motley bunch of thieves, murderers and whores are assembled under the co-ordination of the troubled Lt Clarke, as he attempts to steer them through a production of Farquar’s “The Recruiting Officer”
Having previously taken in “The Talented Mr Ripley” at the Crescent Theatre we had some idea of the standard of acting on offer, but we were to be pleasantly surprised. Each member of the 10-strong cast were all equally impressive, although special mention should go to Craig Hall who excelled in the stand-out role of “Robert Sideway”.
The audience were treated to a number of “sea shanties” before the beginning of Acts 1 & 2, which helped set the tone. There were a few arty tableau’s which the less experienced members of the audience (myself included) didn’t follow, but the thespians in the audience lapped it up. Something about a boat, and disassociation.
Fans of Bertolt Brecht (you know who you are) will love the social and political issues which are dissected throughout the rehearsals, ranging from Crime and Punishment to the humanising effect of theatre and how a sense of community can offer savages a sense of civilised society.
The whores were incredibly convincing and thoroughly enjoyable to watch, whilst the character of Major Ross, who set out to make life as difficult as possible for all those involved, was particularly menacing. The basic set and stage props underlined the sparse nature of the pre-colonised Australia, and each character was given time to reflect and express their opinions on how they came to be in the strange, new world.
Tellingly the running time of two and three quarter hours flew by without a single glance at the watch, and each of the captivating performers managed to hold our attention for the full performance.
A post-mortem was held at the Bombay Mix curry house (I recommend the Chicken Rogan) and the final verdict was delivered. “A triumph” we declared. Now let’s eat....
“Our Country’s Good” runs at the Crescent Theatre, Birmingham until the 18th November. Please see the Crescent Theatre website for ticket details.
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