Motherland

From wine-addled women writhing in menstrual blood to couples fornicating in fields, this provocative dance, speech and song piece took visceral theatre to its limits, yet remained at all times intelligent, relevant, and rigorously thought through. Exploring the life events of modern-day lasses, it crackled with feminist verve without being dogmatic or dour. Indeed, humour – often of the black variety – played a major part; “Are there any mingers or muffdivers in the house?” yelled a male rock-star at one point, while an ecstatic – but ultimately ignored – woman whooped “I’m a tree!” at another. It could have been shorter and shown a broader range of female experiences, but overall this was wonderful, powerful, gut-wrenching stuff. Go see.

Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, 23 October 2012
[Rating: 4/5]
Colette Bernhardt