The Garden
The spring season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint draws to a close with The Garden by Zinnie
Harris. This lunchtime season of short plays emanating
from Oran Mor in Glasgow (though this one was presented as part of The
Traverse Festival series last year), has proved extremely popular. Many performances have sold out and the thankfully The Traverse
will continue the run with an Autumn season.
an indeterminate date in the future, bleak and uncompromising,
The Garden has some echoes of last week’s play by
Gregory Burke: it treats the themes in a less entertainingly humorous
but ultimately more satisfying way. In a world where power cuts are
common, plant life struggles to exist because of water shortage and and
global warming has increased temperatures to unbearable levels.
A middle aged couple discover the small green shoots of what might be a
weed under the lino. Mac, the scientist husband – who seems more
concerned by his status on an important committee than in the outcome
of its work – is unimpressed by the fledgling growth. His troubled wife
Jane is much more nurturing initially. However it is Jane who finally
cuts down the plant – which turns out to be an apple tree – realising
that there is no future for the plant, or indeed for her and her husband.
There is little relief in the dark and
chilling 35 minutes of this beautifully crafted play, sparingly directed by the
author. The performances of Anne Lacey and Sean Scanlan are
compelling and the conclusion, where the couple come together to act as
one, is sad and depressing. A fine play to end a very successful season.
– Keith Paterson
