THEATRE REVIEWER PETER BROWN Return to previous page Peter Brown's Review Index By The Bog of Cats at the Wyndham's Theatre 3 Dec 2004 This production is the British premiere of Marina Carr’s reworking of the Greek tragedy ‘Medea’ by Euripides. Set in the bleak, wild and dangerous boglands of Ireland, the plot revolves around a traveller, Hester Swane (Holly Hunter). Deserted by her mother when a child and despised by many in the local community, Hester is a tormented soul who takes comfort and solace from nature and her child, (commendably played on this occasion by Ellie Flynn-Watterson). But Hester is no frail or diffident character – she’s a fighter, ready to take on anyone or anything. As the curtain goes up, her suffering and despair deepen with the imminent marriage of Carthage, her ex-lover and father of her child, to a younger woman. The source of the irreversible conflict between Carthage and Hester is the guilt of a dark and terrible secret, which can only be resolved in the gruesome tragedy we experience in the final act. Hildegard Bechtler’s stark design aptly reflects the bleak landscape of the bogland setting, reinforces Hester’s isolation and despair, and focuses attention on the polished and well-directed playing. Holly Hunter delivers an energetic and admirable performance, and is ably supported by a confident and thoughtful cast. I particularly enjoyed Barbara Brennan as Carthage’s mother – penny pinching, vain, crudely blunt and not a little frightening. I suspect many of the audience, like me, saw relatives from their past in this portrayal. Gordon MacDonald (as Carthage) and Trevor Cooper (as Xavier Cassidy) also turn-in strong and powerful performances. This is a story that can be read on many levels. Certainly it’s about loss, desertion and identity, as well as isolation and despair. It’s also concerned with the conflict between itinerants and the settled community - the fear of outsiders or those with a different way of life. But money, ownership and power also figure prominently in a complex, moving and thought-provoking play. Peter Brown Return to previous page Peter Brown's Review Index

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