Review-Our Country's Good-Faust International
11-5-13
By: Tom Hope
‘The last word, gentlemen, will be the play’ – so says Captain Arthur Phillip R.N., aka Governor-in-Chief New South Wales, at the turning point of the narrative, when he approves the production of Farquhar’s ‘The Recruiting Officer’ by a clutch of convicts to entertain the troops and other citizens of the newly established penal colony under the direction of his second lieutenant (Royal Marines) Ralph Clark.
Timberlake Wertenbaker’s script, devised in 1988 at Max Stafford-Clark’s behest from his own work with UK prison inmates, mixes fact with fiction, whores with soldiers and a moderate amount of immoderate language to tell how art outshone life – and overcame death – in turn of the (18th to 19th) century Australia, for what has become a contemporary classic of English experimental theatre. (To read more on the play, click here.)
Faust International Youth Theatre shows generally boast great production values. It’s the cast that makes or breaks it. With 19 HK secondary school students, the stakes are upped the higher by transgender casting, with Captain Phillip and three of 'his' officers played by females. This may be meant to mirror The Recruiting Officer’s own ‘Sylvia/Worthy’ gender-bend, or maybe the director wanted authentic looking 18th century military pigtails (in which case he might also have had more authentic looking military costumes) - or it may have flowed simply from an insufficiency of males to play these roles. Whatever the reason, after a cracking start – the fifty-lash flogging of a convict for insolence to an officer – this ladies-for-men cross-over, allied with Brechtian didactics and a rapid fire delivery to most scenes throughout the first half made me feel more alienated than might have been intended and by the interval I had half a mind to cut and run like an escaping convict.
I’m glad I stayed, because the second half opened strongly – an especially affecting moment when Phillip and Clark debate pulling the play while the convicts in dumb show rehearse it in their cell with the same vivid intensity Wertenbaker describes from her research watching inmates of Wormwood Scrubs in rehearsal: "The convicts knew their lines absolutely because they had nothing else to do and they didn't want to waste time with pleasantries; as soon as you came into the room they started rehearsing. The two hours were very intense because the time was so valuable and we saw immediately how doing a play could become absolutely absorbing if you were incarcerated.’
From this point on, the production wound itself ever more tightly round both head and heart with each new scene so by the close I cared for the characters as much as for the play’s themes of retribution and redemption. The ensemble’s strength makes it foolish to single out individuals. Instead, I’ll praise director Nicholas Atkinson for marshalling his cast so effectively, and the cast generally for their cohesion, confidence, commitment and conviction.
Yes, the production values were high – an especially atmospheric and efficiently lit set from Anton Pelayo and a well-judged soundscape in support – with a caveat for those not-so-military uniforms (only Captain Phillip sported an officers’ topcoat which established ‘his’ authority but left the rest working the harder for theirs).
In case you’re still wondering whether this production is really that good, here’s the reaction of three secondary school drama students who have studied the play and who I interviewed after:
Max: ‘Strong moments – really good given the cast’s age – effective lighting and good interpretation of dialogue’
Eugenia: ‘Authentic set, with a single sea chest working for pretty much everything in each scene.’
Chanelle: ‘I really liked the actor who played Harry (Nikil Inaya) – a great portrayal of a guilty conscience – it’s very hard to get into that character and he did it.’
As Nicholas Atkinson says in the programme notes: ‘The idea behind Stage Group was to give those students who want to go on to study the performing arts at tertiary level the chance to involve themselves in a play comprising a cast who all share a passion for theatre.’
Well, this time round they’ve taken their chance along with their passion and turned it into compelling theatre too.
Our Country's Good closes today (Saturday) with 3pm matinee and 7.30pm evening shows at the McAulay in Wanchai. For more information, click here.
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