The Land of My Fathers

The Good Earth

Fragments

Wales Millennium Centre, Weston Studio

16^th and 17^th April 2014

Another success story from Wales Millennium Centre’s Incubator project returns to the Weston Studio to show how far they have come on their own. The Good Earth certainly does not disappoint, since leaving the Incubator it is clear that the project has gone on to become a beautifully realised and ambitious production.

Based on a true story the cast play the full population of a Welsh, mountainside village threatened with natural disaster. Every few years a new man with a clipboard arrives to perform ‘tests’ on their mountain, and without fail finds something that will prove fatal to the villagers. This time they say the mountain is moving, and will cause a fatal landslide, meaning everyone must move.

But it’s not as simple for the people who live there. They were born in those houses, their fathers were born in those houses and probably their father’s fathers too. It’s not easy to uproot generations of heritage and move into a purpose built estate with paper thin walls and no history.

The emotive tale is told through a mixture of techniques. Director Rachael Boulton utilises the most appropriate bits from political theatre practice, traditional storytelling and folksong to create a unique and intriguing aesthetic for the piece. Using only minimal set and lighting the hardworking cast so fully inhabit their character’s surroundings that we cannot help but see the town hall, the mountain side and the front rooms of the villagers.

It’s a story that will deeply resonate with a Welsh audience. The new builds have a Tesco and other amenities that will kill the local grocers, butchers and traders. The doctor will no longer live up the road, always there in the time of need. The breakdown of community is something we are feeling the consequences of now and it was impossible not to feel the villagers’ anguish as they fruitlessly fought for their home.

The story centres on young Jackie Adams and her family. Emma Vickery is fantastic as the young girl confused and scared by what is going on around her. Her mother (Anna-Marie Paraskeva) and brother James (Max Makintosh) fight tirelessly as those around them pack up and leave, including their hilarious next door neighbour Trish (Hanna Brunt). Caught in a catch 22 they are forced to chose between their morals and what is right for their families as James’s fiancée (Sarah Winn), who is not from the village, is pregnant.  

The cast are superb and although they often play more than one character their commitment to each role is tireless. The choral scenes often including song and movement unfold seamlessly from the action and really invoke the Welsh passion and heritage the village is about to lose.

Moving and completely rousing. Anyone with even the smallest bit of Welsh blood is sure to feel the heartache and determination.