Review: WASTELAND, Gary Clarke Company - Birmingham Rep

Wasteland by the Gary Clarke Company is the sequel to Coal, which looked at the 1984/85 British Miners’ strike. Wasteland considers what happened next in a period of radical social and economic upheaval.

 The piece opens with a lone figure (Parsifal James Hurst) staggering through a solo, movement telling a tale of a man crippled by exhaustion and the weight of the rough hand he has been dealt. Joined by his son (Rob Anderson), the pair work through a father/son relationship full of resentment, anger, and love. They skilfully navigate a fight, slipping into a tender moment of the son taking off the father’s shoes before screaming into a pillow. 

The next act moves into a rave and whilst the dancers’ tenacity, strength and dance ability are to be applauded alongside the clear 90’s references to rave culture, we were left wanting the connections between characters established so strongly in Act One to continue, or for a clearer narrative to emerge. There are moments in this section of the show with beautiful imagery: glitter filling the air around the spent ravers, whilst the morose figure of the father looms at the back of the stage sat in the same armchair starring at the same TV, unaware of the joyous escape the young people have found. This section, however, feels overly long with repetitive movement sequences which, whilst a representation of rave culture, fails to move on a narrative or make a further political point.

Later as the ravers clash with the police, parallels are drawn with their parents battles with the law during the miners strikes, but it feels like an opportunity has been missed to explore this further. The piece returns to a final duet between the father and son; the connection between the dancers coupled with beautiful choreography giving us another touching and real duet.

Wasteland also includes a community cast of four singers and two members of a brass band, with two songs included in the piece. Whilst well performed, the juxtaposition against the rave scenes seems a bit too abrupt with little connection. It does little more than remind us that we are in a mining community. 

Wasteland is full of beautiful choreography and an interesting multi-faceted Father/Son relationship. However, the overly long rave scenes slow the narrative and opportunities are missed to make a stronger political statement or draw modern day parallels. 

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Lisa Cleaver

Wasteland plays at Birmingham Rep until this evening (19 May), with further information here.