drive your plow over the bones of the dead…

Moira and I (together with a number of us from my Storysmith bookgroup – the novel of the same name was one of our discussion books) went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night to see international touring company Complicité present a play, directed by Simon McBurney, based on Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk’s novel of the same name.
I’ve previously read the book twice before… so was very keen that the play shouldn’t ruin the book for me. I needn’t have worried!
 
It’s set in a small community on a remote mountainside near the Czech-Polish border. Men from the local hunting club are dying in mysterious circumstances. The principal character, Janina Duszejko (brilliantly played by Amanda Hadingue), is an ex-engineer, environmentalist, devoted astrologer and enthusiastic translator of William Blake… and she has her suspicions (she’s been watching the animals with whom the community shares their isolated, rural home, and believes they are acting strangely)… they couldn’t have committed the murders, could they?
 
Olga Tokarczuk's book is wonderfully weird fable in the form of mystery whodunnit and represents something of a rallying cry for nature (exposing as it sees the hypocrisy of institutional power). Asking such questions as: why is the killing of animals regarded as sport and that of humans murder?
It’s a hugely impressive play. The acting is absolutely excellent throughout and the set design, lighting and music powerfully perfect.
A brilliant evening.
Photo: The image (copyright Bristol Old Vic) actually shows Kathryn Hunter in the role of Janina. She and Hadinque shared the role during the course of the play’s run in Bristol (with Hunter performing 19-31 Jan and Hadinque playing Janina 1-11 Feb).
Footnote: Moira and I usually find ourselves part of the largely silver-haired generation of theatre-goers(!), but we noticed last night that the age range of the audience was significantly younger. Was it something to do with the cost of the tickets perhaps? Last night, tickets were available from £14, whereas they’re often double that... and there was a full house.