Review: DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD, Belgrade Theatre - Tour
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is a powerful, unrelenting, moral play. The story is based near the Czech-Polish border where members of a local hunting club are dying in mysterious circumstances. What could be described as a politically charged murder mystery, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead will make you question your own morals and eating habits.
The play is essentially an extended monologue, with occasional dialogue and movement from the rest of its stellar cast. We begin with a black background, chairs and a microphone covered in Post-It notes. We soon discover the notes are quoting the great poet William Blake. The house lights remain on and our protagonist Janina (Kathryn Hunter) invites us into her community through the use of the microphone, only briefly moving from it to interact with other characters on the stage. We learn she has been translating Blake’s work with her friend and ex-student Dizzy, alongside her job as a teacher. She recalls finding her neighbour dead; she has been watching the animals and feels they are acting strangely, almost in defiance. We later discover this neighbour has choked to death on a bone of the deer he killed and cooked. Could she be right? Olga Tokarczuk’s love of animals is clear, with the cast representing various animals throughout the show. They are simply and beautifully crafted through the use of movement, costume and shadow puppets.
The use of light and projection is transformative. Astrology is a focus throughout the story and this is beautifully illustrated against a versatile background. It also depicts more harsher realities: one video of a deer attacking its hunter lingers long after the performance ends. It acts as a canvas to the words of Blake, which our protagonist shares so passionately. Despite being a constant, intense and quick-paced piece, there is room given to humour. In fact, there are many laughs from the audience: Janina’s character is quick-witted and endearing as soon as she steps onto the stage. There are many shocking and grief-stricken moments throughout the show and yet there is love and warmth to be found here, amongst the people Janina introduces to her audience.
Despite the gripping charm and humour, the play is a little heavy on the animal activist side (there are warnings of graphic images before the performance), and it might be just a tad too long. This can be mostly forgiven however through the sheer force and commitment given by Hunter and the rest of the cast. In the second half, we finally find out the cause of these deaths and it is well worth the three hour (including an interval) wait.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead has a fable like quality to it. It is almost disguised as a whodunnit but it is so much more than your average murder mystery. It is a dark humoured play, challenging audiences through story, movement and powerful spoken word. Oh, and Kathryn Hunter is an utter tour de force. You won’t see anything else like it.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Eaton
Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead plays in Coventry until 22 April and in Salford next week, before the show moves overseas. For more information, please click here.