“It is difficult to illuminate the cerebral nature within the work however as there is a lack of theatricality to give air to the arguments.“
“The cast are excellent and give their all but they are limited to stock characters and stereotypes.“
Fiona Hallenan-Barker
2 / 5 Bibles
As a companion piece to Wayside Bride the choice of Caryl Churchill’s 1976 play Light Shining in Buckinghamshire is an unusual one. Alana Valentine and Carly Churchill are both fiercely intelligent writers who advocate for human rights. These two particular plays however are chalk and cheese.
Churchill’s usual approach is to provide a dystopian spin on an issue. She tackles the themes of religion power and equality in Light Shining in Buckinghamshire but the play lacks the signature personal touches that support the ideological diatribe. There are other plays, including some written by Churchill, that could have been more engaging.
Set during the English Civil War, Churchill uses documentary material to fictionalise the uprising of the people against the crown. The lengthyPutney Debates of 1647 scene presents the central argument of the play; the struggle for constitutional rights for all men. The ideas are interesting but there is an assumed knowledge of British history in the writing, especially with the Diggers, Levellers, and Ranters that does not necessarily translate well to modern Sydney audiences. At two hours this play felt very lengthy. The language is heady, the music is ecclesiastical and the overall production is influenced by a pious sense of ritual.
It is difficult to illuminate the cerebral nature within the work however as there is a lack of theatricality to give air to the arguments. After many decades of arts funding cuts it is easy to see why austerity is used in the stage design but what works well inWayside Bride does not translate so well to Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. The plastic chair aesthetic is taken to low budget lows with stained trestle tables and ill fitted rehearsal clothes. The embellishments of posters and graffiti are even torn down and painted over during the course of the play.
The cast are excellent and give their all but they are limited to stock characters and stereotypes. The overall production is stifling. The ongoing portrayal of poverty, madness and religious zealotry is relentless. By the end of the production you realise you have literally been watching paint dry.
Light Shining in Buckinghamshire is a play that could have stayed in the history books.
Fiona Hallenan-Barker, Theatre Now
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