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| Images from the National Theatre web site |
With a dozen women on the stage for most of the play, The Welkin is an in-depth exploration of what it means to be a mother in a paternalistic, sexist and very unequal society. Set in rural Suffolk in 1759, the plot revolves around whether a young woman convicted of murdering a child is pregnant. If she is with child, she will be spared the gallows. Twelve matrons from across the social strata are drafted in by the courthouse to decide whether Sally Poppy should live or die. Prominent among them is a strident midwife who does all she can to save the downtrodden, yet defiant, Sally. Their deliberations proceed to highlight the wanton abuse of servants, their fragile status in society, and how the odds are stacked against children growing up in the wrong social class.
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| Images from the National Theatre web site |
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Characterised by dramatic lighting, and quick-fire, often funny dialogue, The Welkin will keep you engaged for most of the 150 minutes of action. The play is full of symbolism and powerful imagery; it opens with eight silhouettes toiling away at various menial tasks, while Halley's Comet makes a cameo appearance and the cast break into an impromptu rendition of Kate's Bush's
Running up that Hill, a poignant song about the eternal disconnect between men and women. Although it raises some thorny intellectual questions, you are likely to respond to the Welkin on an emotional level: the coarse language, the mood swings and the biting injustice can feel exhausting both for the actresses and the audience. At the same time, you'll be sucked in by the intrigue - the alliances between the women shift as new revelations come to light. Although the themes are dark and bleak, there is just enough warmth and humanity in The Welkin to make it work.
8/10
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| Images from the National Theatre web site |
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