Our Country’s Good

Timberlake Wertenbaker
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Lyric Hammersmith, London

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Our Country’s Good
Finbar Lynch Credit: Marc Brenner
Simon Manyonda Credit: Marc Brenner

The huge front of the Lyric stage looks like a worn, solid, wooden Union Jack flag. Against it, a man stripped to the waist faces us, crying out as we hear the sound of a whip hitting his back.

This brutal opening to Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play, directed by Rachel O'Riordan, transports us back to 1788 and the first group of convicts arriving under Royal Marine Guard to the British colony of Australia. One of the characters explains that all the prisons in Britain are full, so they have to send surplus criminals somewhere else.

Behind the decayed solidity of the flag is a striking set of gradually rising sandy slopes dotted with trees. A First Nation woman, Killara (Naarah), steps out to speak directly to us about the new arrivals. She will be our occasional narrator, gradually becoming more concerned about the destructive impact of the colony.

It has been a long journey for the convicts, transported for crimes as trivial as stealing a biscuit. Some of their bored marine guards have spent the voyage swapping bits of food for sexual access to their prisoners. They all seem uncertain about what they should do with their time.

They should be doing hard labour, says one of the officers. However, the new governor takes to the idea of the convicts performing a play that will teach them to work with others and possibly rehabilitate them. Tench (Nick Fletcher) says the convicts will be better entertained watching a hanging.

Second Lieutenant Ralph Clarke (Simon Manyonda) is tasked with organising a performance of The Recruiting Officer, a military romp from 1706.

As the convict cast negotiates roles, they grow in confidence, though some are still traumatised by what they have experienced. Among the fine cast, Finbar Lynch is impressive as the troubled hangman Ketch wishing he didn’t have to hang anyone. Nick Fletcher brings an over-the-top humour to his role of Sideway and Ruby Bentall gives us a timid Mary Brenham, gradually emerging from her shell.

The set soon loses trees and is littered with cans and used packets. The damaged landscape, along with the costumes that include sweaters and jeans, underline the contemporary resonance of Our Country’s Good. The play first performed in 1988 still speaks to the legacy of colonialism, the continuing debate on prison reform and the redemptive power of theatre.

Reviewer: Keith Mckenna

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