Burton Taylor

Tuesday 9th – Saturday 13th; 7.30pm

“this absolutely wonderful production of “Our Country’s Good” might very well make you cry. Or give you a lump in the throat. At the very least it should give you chills and make you sit very still on your seat and pay attention.” Madeline Wright ★★★★★

“Our Country’s Good attempts to cover a range of themes: relationships, penal and justice systems, but perhaps most crucially it tries very hard to convince the audience about the power of theatre. If this last one sounds a little nauseating, it’s because in a way it is” Lukas May ★★★★★

Our Country’s Good ★★★★★

Review by Madeline Wright

Is it bad form to cry in the theatre? I mean, it’s CRYING. You know, in the THEATRE. With loads of other people there, and actors, and everything. Nobody wants you sniffing and snotting all over the place – but on the other hand, if it is genuinely sad then perhaps a bit of snotting might be taken as a compliment. It’s something of a dilemma, really.

This pontificating is all relevant, I promise. Because this absolutely wonderful production of “Our Country’s Good” might very well make you cry. Or give you a lump in the throat. At the very least it should give you chills and make you sit very still on your seat and pay attention.

Set in an Australian penal colony, the play documents the redemptive effects of theatre on a group of convicts – as well as the less than favourable responses of the naval officers who oppose the whole exercise. Detailed characterisation and clever use of the small stage in creating intimate spaces are the main reasons for the success of this production, which starts as it means to go on with a strikingly eerie and intimate scene aboard the convict ship, the voices of the convicts low and mournful against the sound of a sea wind.

The continued use of light and space to create little pockets of intensity makes for compelling viewing which maintains power for the full 90 minutes. Short scenes with decisive, simple blocking and very few props allow the warmth and humanity of the acting to really shine through, while the ghostly chorus of disembodied voices between some scenes added a nice touch of lyricism.

Although the play has been cut and adapted to fit within time and cast constraints, the character changes were elegantly executed and in many ways highly appropriate for a play which deals with the nature of theatre itself. Particular credit should go to Freya Willetts, whose characterisation of three wildly different parts – permanently smashed Captain Campbell, Meg Long the old madam, and Ketch Freeman the reluctant hangman – was flawless and highly convincing. In fact, the scenes with Ketch Freeman were the most moving (not to mention tear-jerking) of the whole play, particularly the scene in which he unwillingly measures a female convict for her hanging rope, his nervous innocence and apologies contrasting powerfully with her dull resignation.

I’ve raved about this for a fair while, so in the name of balance I suppose I should tell you the bad bits too. There aren’t many, but I’d like to point out that the scenes with Major Ross are literally, physically painful, because HE SHOUTS LIKE THIS!!!!! WITH NO BREAK!!!!! RAAAAAARRRRR!!!!! FOR THE ENTIRE TIME HE IS ON STAGE!!!!! I wanted one of the convicts to stuff a hankie in his mouth. They’d already been deported, how much worse could it get? Other than the destruction of my eardrums, everything was pretty much spot on – some machine-gunning of lines at first, but that all calmed down after a few minutes.

These gripes aside, it’s easily a 5 star production. It’s varied, inventive, humorous at times, heartbreaking at others, but always warm, compassionate and beautifully acted.

“Our Country’s Good”? So is this play. Go and see it.

Our Country’s Good ★★★★★

Review by Lukas May

It is 18^th Century Australia and we witness the foundation of the first penal colony by Royal Marines-turned-gaolers and a group of convicts. Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark (Rhys Bevan) eagerly sets about staging a play that he believes will be propitious for his promotional prospects under Governor Arthur Phillip (Ashleigh Wheeler). The climate he faces is as arid and unpromising as his new surroundings with strong opposition from his colleagues and nothing but a bunch of illiterate criminals as his potential actors. The plot revolves around the trials (sometimes literally) and tribulations faced in the production of their chosen play, The Recruiting Officer, with time found on the side for the development of a romantic subplot between Clark and one of his leading convict stars Mary Brenham (Anna Maguire).

Our Country’s Good attempts to cover a range of themes: relationships, penal and justice systems, but perhaps most crucially it tries very hard to convince the audience about the power of theatre. If this last one sounds a little nauseating, it’s because in a way it is – the plot pulls no punches and leaves no ambiguity as to what you are supposed to believe about the miraculously transformative effect of a bit of board-treading. The play-within-a-play aspect unavoidably panders to the significant thespian portion of the audience, with many empathetic smiles and chuckles at the total degeneration of a rehearsal in one scene (the self-referencing and insularity of this effect partly amplified by the exclusive feel of the small studio). However, the script is well written and it is a dramatic, thoughtful and occasionally funny piece.

The real cast has most players performing multiple roles. In some cases this may have contributed to weaknesses – the hangman Ketch Freeman (Freya Willetts) seemed to be in a perpetual state of mild confusion as opposed to angst and self-doubt. In others it led to inconsistency with actors playing one role more strongly than their others, which is only to say that although most were played well there were some exceptional performances. The saliva spraying Scotsman Major Ross (Rob Jones) screaming abuse at Clark was very enjoyable, and Alex Jeffery as Robert Sideway, an enthusiastic convicted pickpocket with a penchant for theatricality was outstanding. Rhys Bevan had the unique luxury of playing just one character, director and Royal Marine Ralph Clark, and he put in a seamless performance throughout which helped ensure a feeling of consistency in the play’s standard which may otherwise have lacked due to the varying quality outlined earlier. Slightly self-indulgent and with patchy performances at times, Our Country’s Good was nonetheless an entertaining production with some excellent moments.