There are basic human rights that we accept as a given
(though under threat from time to time) such as a roof over your head, access
to food, the ability to work, and protection by the law. This story is one
where all of those things are taken away from a family and how they struggle to
survive in the face of such unthinkable adversity. Yes, the extended Joad
family are kicked off their farm in 1930’s dustbowl America and forced to
travel to California on the promise of work. Along the way they discover all
kinds of hardship and people who would take advantage of an over-abundance of
labour during the Great Depression.
On the surface this is a bleak tale but it is the
indomitable will of the mother, Ma Joad (an authoritative performance by Megan
Wilding), that defies all assaults on her family and the calamities that beset
them that resonates so strongly.
Our tale begins with newly paroled Tom Joad (interesting
casting choice but one where Elle Harris excels) returning to the family farm.
On the way he discovers ex-preacher Jim Casey (Andrew Creer) who is no longer
moved by the spirit of the Lord as he once was. Seems young Tom spent four
years inside for killing a man who had attacked him, a crime he does not
regret. On learning of the family plight the decision is made to travel westwards
where orange handbills promise plenty of work picking grapes and other fruit in
the lush California valleys.
Three generations of the Joads including a reluctant Grampa
(Luke Fewster), Granma (Harriet Gordon-Anderson), Ma and Pa Joad (Dacre
Montgomery), Al Joad (Bevan Pfeiffer), Uncle John (Seamus Quinn), the pregnant
Rose of Sharon (Becky Gulia), the two children Ruthie and Winfield (Brittany
Morel and Jessica Paterson), Tom and Casey all pile into an old truck. This is
amusingly yet effectively portrayed by a plush couch with the ‘children’
holding torches to signify headlights. There are two tragedies and warnings
along the way that they are chasing fake dreams of a better life. But what else
is there for them to do?
Once they get to California there are all manner of people
willing to prey on their desperation. Seems those handbills have been more than
effective in attracting families like the Joads which means the employers can
slash wages to grossly unfair levels. Then there are the run-ins with the law
whose officers have an aggressive attitude to all the ‘immigrants’ flooding
into the State. The parallels to modern day situations in various parts of the
world are obvious. Those confrontations see Casey on the run and Tom
subsequently reprising his crime as he checks a commotion outside a work camp
one night only to find the worst kind of trouble. As he leaves the family he
vows to fight the injustice that is rife all around them. The play ends with a
storm, a birth, and an act of charity that is well handled and moving.
The production is in the black box theatre of the
Enright Studio and director Sandie Eldridge has chosen to have her actors
stay in the space eschewing exits and entrances. They lurk in the wings when
not in scenes. With such a simple set it’s the use of various props that
creates the world – blue plastic sheet representing water/river; use of a door
held upright then placed on the stage floor; the couch which is utilised in
various ways; and the sort of detritus and assorted possessions that such a family
accrues.
A Narrator (Stephanie Panozzo) periodically reads descriptive passages from the novel and observes the action
while occasionally playing the harmonica. She also guides characters who have
perished into the wings like some guardian angel. This allows us to accept why
the dead are suddenly up and about as they have to get off the primary stage
space.
The acting is good (as are, generally, the American accents)
with Wilding and Harris featuring but I also liked Creer’s good-natured performance
as Casey and Montgomery as a somewhat bewildered Pa Joad. Props go to
Gordon-Anderson and Fewster playing characters well beyond their years. Gulia comes into her own in the later stages as her character goes from tragedy
to offering an unusual and potent gift of generosity.
I wasn’t a fan, however, of the use of music that only had
the effect of wrenching me out of the drama. I understand the temptation of the
lyrical association of songs such as Do You Know the Way to San Jose and (a
rock version of) California Dreaming but those songs are at least 30 years
after the time period being depicted as were a couple of even more modern
tracks. There was a great dance sequence full of energy and fun amidst the
gloom of the family predicament and it worked well when the actors were
performing The Clapping Song which is based on a 1930s number. But when the
modern version is played over the top it again dissipated my immersion in the
world.
Other than that this is the first time I have seen the
second year acting students and they acquitted themselves well in an iconic
American tale.
Directed by Sandie Eldridge, Written by Frank Galati based on the John Steinbeck novel, and featuring Elle Harris, Dacre
Montgomery, Andrew Creer, Bevan Pfeiffer, Seamus Quinn, Megan Wilding, Becky
Gulia, Stephanie Panozzo, Brittany Morel, Jessica Paterson, Harriet
Gordon-Anderson, Claudia Ware, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Luke Fewster, Rian
Howlett, Ben Kindon and Lincoln Vickery, The Grapes of Wrath has two more performances, 7.30pm 27-28 August at the Enright Studio.
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