The Blackening by Paul Rothwell
BATS Theatre, 7pm, 10-27 June 2009
Paul Rothwell’s The Blackening, opened at BATS last week in a superb production, directed by Paul McLaughlin.
Entering the theatre we wandered into an ominous, slightly surreal orchard. Each aspect of design is blended in such harmony, that it was only when I turned my mind specifically to deciphering what elements were creating this disquieting atmosphere that I was able to place each of them. Stephen Gallagher’s soundscape, Jennifer Lal’s lighting and Tony De Goldi’s set develop an eerie environment, which with the consistently strong acting, tells this chilling tale.
Mal, in a complex characterization by Jed Brophy, arrives home to his two brothers and the orchard where they grew up to find his youngest brother, Broody, to be just as he remembers him ten years ago. Jack Shadbolt’s strong performance captures the innocence of the nineteen-year-old Broody, who has had a mental age of nine, since he fell out of an apple tree he climbed to look up the road, hoping for Mal’s return.
Jonny Moffatt effectively portrays Dan, the seemingly straight up and down honest brother who has kept the orchard running and looked after Broody, who we gradually realise is not such a simple character as we may have put him down to be.
Symbolic staging is established from the beginning and theatrical conventions gradually blur with the dream like narrative, which keeps the audience engaged as we struggle to make sense of the world as it exists for these three brothers. Since the opening of this production, I’ve heard some audience members express discontent at the staging conventions (role doubling etc) confusing with the symbolism in the narrative, making the plot hard to follow. However, I found this served to intensify my understanding of the text, in which much of the pleasure lies in attempting to decipher this world. A slight exception to this might be the “symbolic” dog (a fox fur stole) that we can accept as a bundle of fur curled up in a basket, until suddenly, with no change to her limp body, she is dead and her carcass is cruelly personified by Mal either to taunt, comfort or delight Broody. This disturbing moment distracts from the more interesting relationships rather than adding any depth.
All in all, this production is strong in every aspect to realise Rothwell’s deeply compelling text that implores us to question our values and world view on a very personal level.
Reviewed by Fiona McNamara