A most interesting collaboration between Bangarra and the STC
In Bloodland, we are in the land – a divided community, a community divided from the larger world. It also explores black on black conflict, family, kinship and division. Political themes – the current homelands campaign, mining rights, and health issues (smoking, substance abuse etc) are also featured.
The production is performed in a mix of Pidgin English and Yolngu (an Indigenous language from North East Arnhem Land), with no subtitles. It’s a rather unique mix of straight drama and a ‘dance’ piece. The second half especially has great emotional impact, but it attempts to blend both Indigenous and ‘white’ culture and doesn’t quite come off successfully as an integrated whole. While extremely impressive, it perhaps needs a little tightening and clarification. You can see what the creative team are striving for, and some sections are brilliant, but the work doesn’t quite know what it is, and is sometimes disjointed and repetitive.
There are some marvellous sections in the work. At one point, in the hushed, dulcet tones of David Attenborough, there is biting social and health commentary with the community being analyzed and commented on like animals; we hear various health facts about smoking, cancer etc as we see the people in the town smoking.
The integration of traditional Aboriginal dance and rituals into the show works extremely well and there are some visually stunning sections. We see the men teach the boys how to make bark canoes properly, we see the women with their baskets and making bread. We also see women quarreling over groceries while the young people share MP3’s. Traditional Aboriginal face painting and body makeup is also included.
Peter England’s set design – a jagged, torn and broken wire fence with some leafy strands and teetering, peeling telegraph poles – is fabulous and very ‘outback’. Damien Cooper’s lighting is gloriously atmospheric. At one point the stage is seemingly grooved, rutted and covered in frost – beautiful, yet cold and dangerous.
We see substance abuse (for example Kava, the highly potent alcoholic drink) handed out by David Page, who plays Donkey/Bapi – the local kava merchant, also a drug dealer, as a mysterious hooded Trickster figure – and how this ends tragically.
Another marvellous yet chilling set piece is the ‘Miss White’ section that opens with ‘Advance Australia Fair’, before we see how Miss White ritually kill all her class on Australia Day for speaking in their native Aboriginal language, questioning the dominance of the English language and trying to stand up to her.
The extended ending with the keening, wailing mourning rituals and the haunting songs and sound of clapping sticks, has enormous, gut wrenching impact .
Ursula Yovich, who plays Cherish, a disturbed young woman who obsessively carries her bag of old mobile phones (conjuring the spirits of the elders and other characters) is striking.
Mention must also be made of Rhimi Johnson Page, Meyne Wyatt and Hunter Page-Lochard, who play the community’s young men and in whom we see the stresses of the duality of contemporary life.
There are some extremely impressive performances and it is a major, striking production, but it needs a little tweaking before it has the impact it deserves.
Rating: Three and a half stars
Sydney Theatre Company, Adelaide Festival and Allens Arthur Robinson in association with Bangarra Dance Theatre present
Bloodland
Concept by Stephen Page
Story by Kathy Balnhayngu Marika Stephen Page and Wayne Blair
Written by Wayne Blair
Director: Stephen Page Set Designer: Peter England Costume Designer: Jennifer Irwin Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper Composer: Steve Francis Assistant Director: Kirk Page
Running time: 90 minutes (approx)
Cast: Kathy Balngayngu Marika, Elaine Crombie, Rarriwuy Hicks, Rhimi Johnson Page, Banula Marika, Nolene Marika, David Page, Hunter Page Lochard, Kelton Pell, Tessa Rose, Meyne Wyatt, Ursula Yovich
Wharf 1 Theatre, Sydney
October 3 – November 13
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