AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: The Welkin - The Harlequin Theatre, Northwich.

An evening of firsts for this particular reviewer. I had never visited the superbly converted industrial unit on the outskirts of Northwich centre known to all as Harlequin Theatre before; and I had never even heard of their latest production, 'The Welkin' either. 

Some research therefore was necessary, and in so doing I find that the play was written in 2020 by Lucy Kirkwood. The title, 'The Welkin', is an archaic word for the sky or the heavens, which, although does not in itself, give you a clue to the content of the play, once you have seen it, you understand the reference. Set in Suffolk in 1759, the play concerns a certain Sally Poppy, [played this evening with fiery verve and determination by Miranda Chance], accused of brutally murdering a young child. If found guilty - and there is no doubt that she will, this being a male-dominated society - she will hang. However, she claims to be pregnant, and if this can be proven to be the case, her sentence will be reduced to transportation to America. Twelve local housewives are therefore duly coerced or pressganged into being the "jury", and to determine the veracity of this claim. Only one of them however, a local mid-wife Elizabeth Luke [performed with unerring fortitude by Emily Duffy], believes her claim and wishes to see justice done.

In the course of the almost three-hour epic, we learn much about 18th century England, their laws, and their attitude towards women. None of this is surprising perhaps, but the fact that some of this still feels quite contemporary is obviously the point Kirkwood is trying to make, and she doesn't miss the mark. Even having a male, silent observer during their deliberations has modern overtones. 

This is a large and truly ensemble cast, who all work well within the confines of the minimalist stage design (which worked excellently - I loved the silhouette work!). Directed confidently and skilfully by Yvette Owen, we were immediately ensconced in their world, and despite the play's length, hung on every word. Well... not quite... thereby hangs one of my main criticisms of this production. Despite the size of the auditorium, the speaking was at times far too quiet. Owen had obviously opted for a naturalistic style of presentation which overall worked well, but vocally, more projection or simply speaking louder was required by several; I was straining to hear at times.

The pace was a little slow at times, and it is a very wordy and quite static play, therefore Owen needed to find a little more change in the dynamics at times. The more powerful scenes found a pace of their own, but the general chit-chat in between did tend to sag a little. The physical elements, such as stage combat etc was sadly the weakest element in this production. When so much consideration had been given to authenticity in every other quarter (sound, lighting, costumes and characterisations), it seemed such a shame that the slapping and kicking etc were slapstick rather than real.

In such a production with such a large ensemble cast it is almost impossible to mention all. Suffice to say that Owen had worked excellently with the cast to bring about apposite, real, believable, and different women, all with their own individual stories to tell. A simpleton and a self-imposed mute could have been reason enough for any lesser director to opt for caricature and comedy; however, Owen held the reins tightly and injected just the right amount of humour throughout, keeping her sights focussed on the drama, the (in)justice, and the telling of the story. 

A gripping tale - which could perhaps be said to be a cross between '12 Angry Men' and 'The Crucible' - most sensibly and sensitively realised by a very talented team. As already written, this was my first visit to Northwich's bijou and delightful Harlequin Theatre; I certainly hope it shall not be my last!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 10.6.23