Our Country's Good

This production at the National wasn't quite woeful, but it was pretty poor. When I think of the many clever productions I have seen at low cost, this was an example of lavishness, certainly in terms of a huge cast, to produce something pretty tawdry.

The story is of the early convict colony in Australia and one of the officers decides to put on a play to show the civilising influence this would have on the convicts, instead of a life of brutality. In this he is supported by the governor but not many of his fellow officers. This is all very right on, but what makes it a fundamentally weak play, unless you are prepared to leave your brain in the foyer, is that the participants don't work as characters. The Governor despite being the man in  charge, doesn't support the officer, although he waxes lyrical about the idea of the play. Why? Well obviously because the play needs someone to say to the audience how wonderful it would be to have this redemptive therapy, but we also need to be told how awful the British officers are so nothing must stop their brutality and ignorance. All the prisoners without exception are either innocent of any crime or been given disproportionate sentences for minor thefts. All have hearts of gold really. They are also all (barring the heroine) desperately unsuited to acting, but suddenly brilliant at the end. And most believable of course, one of the women is to be hanged, but all she has to do is say she is innocent (which of course she is) but is too proud to say so. Yep, really credible drama.

So its a fundamentally naff play, but made worse by the production. Lots of little musical interludes, like the chorus in a Greek drama (which very reasonably went out of fashion a couple of millennia ago. And just to prove its set in Australia, a young man dressed in a loin cloth cavorts around lithely between scenes in a completely non-speaking role.

Not a night that was worth the ticket price, let alone the long bus ride home. The National has really lost its way. Worthy and on message but deadly dull and weak. Not even particularly well acted. But you can see how it would appeal to a theatrical producer or critic, since its message is that theatre can transcend everything and bring out the best. Except here.