Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Diorama Arts Centre, March 2000

Directors Emma Douglas and Damien Scully admirably highlight the central political theme of the play, while never losing sight of its wicked humour, and the dialogue’s pace doesn’t flag for a moment. Patrick Blair and Andrew Watson’s set manages at once to evoke the vast Australian terrain and the constrictive confines of the original settlement, and Richard Evans’ lighting transforms the Diorama stage into a multitude of settings.

Mark Gallagher, as Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark heads a dynamic and talented cast, whose intelligent performances bring the play to life. Gallagher’s brilliant central performance is totally attuned to Wertenbaker’ s obsessions in the play; the dissolution of traditional moral standards, the drive to reinvent oneself in this “new” continent, the clash of culture and class that occur in the tight-knit convict community. Patrick Blair’s well-balanced portrayal of the first Governor of New South Wales is powerfully indicative of how the vision of an individual could shape the culture of a nation. But Alexander Gordon-Wood, as Major Ross, is as fine an example of bigotry exported as you are likely to meet. His small-mindedness robs the convicts, like the gruff John Arscott (well portrayed by Tony Hughes), of the dignity they need to find redemption. Captain Tench, played by Andrew Calvocoressi, is as bitter as Ross, though without power, his vitriol is wonderfully humorous. He is more than matched by the other officers, Captain Campbell (Mike Greener), Lieutenant Dawes (Cyrus Patel),Second Lieutenant Faddy (Duncan Moore) and Lieutenant Johnston (Andrew Watson). Together, their ribaldry and drunken tomfoolery is a joy to watch.

On the other hand, Mike Greener’s characterisation of Harry Brewer is a shocking evocation of the mental instability that affected so many of the early settlers, and Judge Collins (Tony Hughes) also struggles painfully to erect a fair justice system in the splintering colony.

KDC’s portrayal of the convicts avoids all the pitfalls of sentimentality or condescension they could so easily have stumbled into. The touching histories that come to light, particularly that of Liz Morden, played well by Leanda Doyle, illustrate the diversity and the difficulty of the convict existence. Lucy Clark’s Mary Brenham is beautifully innocent and kind, while the hilarious Neema Babul’s Dabby Bryant is as bawdy and proud as any Aphra Behn character. John Wisehammer, delicately played by Carl Hill, truly understands the power dynamic of the colony, and the tension of his pent-up intellectualism is impressive to watch. Duckling (Katrina Mallon) and Robert Sideway (an enthusiastic Duncan Moore) aptly convey the ambitions of the battered convicts to simply survive in their new environment. The story of Ketch Freeman (Andy Watson) tastes of the rehabilitation Australia seemed to offer, while Black Caesar (Cyrus Patel) can only pine for his ancestors and the cultural lifeblood of his home.

The eerie voice of the Aborigine (Cyrus Patel) transcends the historical setting, hinting at the future of the colony and the rich history the emigrants are entirely ignorant of. Most impressive was the way KDC used Wertenbaker’s meta-drama to implicate the audience in the transformations they witness. If a play could start such monumental changes in 1789, who is to say that drama doesn’t retain that power still. It is a challenge they meet and throw at their audience.

Overall, despite the fact that the second half of the play lacks the tight energy of the first, KDC’s Our Country’s Good is a triumphant piece of theatre that is moving, funny and informative. Even the toughest first audience back in New South Wales couldn’t have asked for more.