Two great
productions in quick succession but completely different. But isn’t that what theatre is all about?
My second
theatre trip in ten days was to The National’s Lyttleton to see Lucy
Kirkwood’s new play, The Welkin.
Maybe it’s because I’m female and this play has fourteen female (fifteen
if you include a child) characters and two token males that I enjoyed it so
much? That could have something to do
with it, especially as one of the male characters isn’t allowed to speak during
the majority of the play! But it’s not
the extent of it. Lucy Kirkwood
has the ability to tell a bloody good yarn and this play, which on the face of
it, could be a gruelling two-and-a-bit hours, is, in fact a hugely entertaining
tale. A tale that highlights a poor
woman’s existence all those years ago, but also gets us wondering whether for
certain women today that existence has changed all that much.
The Welkin (an archaic word for sky or heavens)
takes place in 1759, the year of Halley’s Comet, in a village on the Norfolk/Suffolk
border. The drama centres around young Sally Poppy (Ria Zmitrowicz) who
has been found guilty, with her lover, of murdering the eleven-year-old
daughter of a rich local family. In
court she claimed to be pregnant and the only way she can escape the hangman’s
noose is for this to be true. It’s left
for a jury of twelve matrons to decide whether or not this is the case. Holed up in a room in the courthouse,
overseen by the silent Mr Coombes (he is forbidden by law to speak to the
women) they have to come to a decision and the only woman prepared to defend
her is midwife, Elizabeth Luke played by Maxine Peake.
The play opens
with the twelve women silhouetted in twelve square boxes of light, repeatedly
carrying out their dull, back breaking household tasks, be it washing clothes,
sewing linen or tending to children.
Designed by the talented Bunny Christie, these boxes and their inhabitants
resemble an old Dutch painting and highlight the mundane existence of each and
every woman. No-one speaks, we just hear
the noise of their labours and we’re in no doubt that the daily grind of these rural
women is relentless. Their summoning to
court means some respite, although the male powers that be have a rule. The
women will be refused food, drink and warmth whilst locked in the jury room, hopefully
ensuring that they come to their decision quickly.
Lucy Kirkwood has given each juror their own
particular voice, from the wonderful Cecilia Noble’s disapproving Emma,
to the “nice but dim” Peg, hilariously played by Ayesha Kala whose main
worry is getting her leeks planted.
Judith Brewer (Jenny Galloway) is suffering from hot flushes,
whilst Helen Ludlow (Wendy Kweh) is barren. Haydn Gwynne is cast
as Charlotte Cary, the well-spoken colonel’s widow and the only non-resident of
the parish who is nominally put in charge.
Maxine Peake as the feminist Elizabeth is the voice of reason,
often trying to make herself heard against the constant bickering and clashing
of opinions. She rails against the patriarchy
and is incensed when the matrons think that having Sally examined by a male
doctor is a good idea. Meanwhile the
accused keeps up a belligerent rant, entirely unrepentant of her crime and
lashing out at everyone like a wild dog.
A motley crew, indeed, but with dialogue and opinions on a woman’s lot
so well drawn that we laugh out loud and, all too often, find totally relatable.
The ensemble cast are
all excellent. Despite having the tricky
part of playing the most earnest member of the jury, Maxine Peake does
her usual excellent job of drawing us in and eliciting true emotion. She is an extraordinary actress. Ria Zmitrowicz, too, can’t be praised
too highly. Totally uninhibited, she has
no worries that Sally has very few, if any, redeeming qualities.
The one drawback is that
the broad Norfolk accent the majority of the cast use is at times
incomprehensible. This is especially true when Sally’s anger reaches its
peak. As a result, I did stumble over
some key plot pointers.
The play may be “women
heavy” but it’s James Macdonald as Director who is responsible
for keeping the story continually captivating.
Although it doesn’t appear to be everyone’s cup of tea, for me, The
Welkin is totally compelling and, at times, extremely funny.
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