Nation

Synopsis

A parallel world, 1860. Two teenagers thrown together by a tsunami that has destroyed Mau’s village and left Daphne shipwrecked on his South Pacific island, thousands of miles from home. One wears next to nothing, the other a long white dress; neither speaks the other’s language; somehow they must learn to survive. As starving refugees gather, Daphne delivers a baby, milks a pig, brews beer and does battle with a mutineer. Mau fights cannibal Raiders, discovers the world is round and questions the reality of his tribe’s fiercely patriarchal gods. Together they come of age, overseen by a foul-mouthed parrot, as they discard old doctrine to forge a new Nation.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 25 November 2009

There’s a strong sense of trying to find a new His Dark Materials, or Coram Boy, in Mark Ravenhill’s dutiful adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s fleet but facile novel of democracy under pressure in the parallel world of a South Pacific island.

The ingredients in Melly Still’s fitfully spectacular production are promising enough, with the exploratory British boat washed up on a devastated island of dead ancestors and flying dolphins: a flurry of leaves rise to the top of the Olivier and are instantly transformed into film imagery.

Then the boat in miniature bobbles on plastic sheeting before depositing the imperial party of The Tempest-like survivors in a heaving terrain of grass-skirted natives led by Gary Carr’s lithe, near naked and dread-locked Mau.

Ermintrude from Wiltshire, whose father is 139th in line to the throne of England, morphs into Daphne and is sucked into a Polynesian culture and blossoming ...

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Latest User Review

kilburncat - 12 February 2010:

The theatre was only around a third full and there were lots of kids who may have been enjoying it, it would have been interesting to know. The script is an unfortunate mix of the banal, confused and unfunny, the staging has its moments but is generally somewhat childish, and as I left half way I cannot say whether it all led anywhere but it didn't look like it was going to. A mess....

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