A powerful depiction of grief that shines a light on society’s relationship with motherhood.
He Who Bends the Tall Grass by Simon Kielty is a modern take on folktale that comments on social issues such as bodily autonomy and parenthood. The show follows social worker Emily as she visits a couple in a small Scottish village, where she is forced to battle some inner (and outer) demons. Whether it’s an ancient entity made of wood, or a woman unable to biologically conceive—this play is very much about a longing for acceptance and purpose.
The plot concept and themes of this story are so complex that it could easily take up much longer, but Kieltydid an excellent job of keeping the play concise and contained to less than an hour. I found the writing in this show to be really fantastic, with small moments of humour woven in throughout the sinister storyline. The three-hander contained a great mix of snappy dialogue and hard-hitting monologues, which allowed the audience to get a real insight into the relationships between characters as well as a look at each character’s individual backgrounds and intentions.
The actors were perfectly believable in their roles, and the direction pushed every element of the show to its fullest potential. Logan Rogers in particular (who played the role of the husband, Alistair) adopted a bold and jarring “possessed” physicality near the end that worked really well for the piece. There were some beautiful images created with the colour contrasts and use of props—which just goes to show that it’s possible to create visually interesting theatre without a big-budget set.
The only gripe I have with the production as a whole is that it is perhaps more suited to a smaller, fringe-like venue. There were some really lovely, subtle moments that I think would have hit harder in an intimate space–and with direction and acting that works so well it would be a pity for someone further back to miss any of the nuances.
Overall, He Who Bends the Tall Grass is an excellent piece of new writing that acts as a clever social commentary.