From the moment I walked into the theatre, I knew I was in for something a bit different with Particularly in the Heartland. There can't be many shows where the actors sing along to requests of audience members as the file into the auditorium! In many respects, the TEAM do appear to approach theatre in a different way. After seeing their two productions last year (Give Up, Start Over! and A Thousand Natural Shocks), it is clear they have developed a unique way of writing and presenting their ideas. Adopting a total theatre approach, the show moves dynamically with several scenes co-existing on stage, bursts of song and captivating movement-based sequences merging together seamlessly.
The play has been devised by the company, which is evident through their committed and powerful performances. They clearly believe in this work totally, and, as an audience member, I couldn't help but believe in them too. Set in Kansas, the plot is centred on the Springer family's three children whose parents have gone missing. What could be a rather bleak promise for a play is turned on its head as a New Yorker falls from the sky, an alien arrives on a "fact-finding mission" and a dead president is unearthed in the garden.
Using this setting, the play explores the survival of those consumed by fear - whether this be the fear of losing a friend, encountering a stranger, or more serious threats such as personal attack or losing your home. The children are depicted alone, clinging to the belief that Jesus in their hearts, but yet plagued by the fear that he might not be if they aren't well behaved. In small acts of kindness, such as giving away a last lollipop, the children constantly strive to be "good".
Where the TEAM have really excelled is in their concealing of deeply powerful messages within the children's play and bizarre humour. A young girl's excited musings about the world suddenly appear all too familiar when preceded by politician's speech. Within movement sequences, the actors cover their faces with their hands, but each time the meaning is different; confusion turns to sadness, turns to joy, and then to wonder. We may cover our eyes, but there's still hope - we don't have to be afraid.
With such abstract structure, it would be easy for a play like this to appear messy and confused, but the visuals are striking and moments are consistently poignant. We see a man dangling from a rope, desperately clinging on - while others ignore him, preoccupied with their own thoughts. A pregnant woman lies blood-stained in a wheelbarrow. Two friends stand, looking down on the stage; "Every time I see a shooting star, Anna says it's a broken satellite."
"They grow up so fast."
As the play ends, you are left with a feeling that you have seen something rather special and it's all down to the incredible attention to detail. Whether this be the superb acting, in particular Brian Hastert's electrifying energy as Todd and Libby King's delicately moving performance as Sarah, or the simple touches to the costumes (in giving Dorothy a pair of sparkly red shoes, for example).
This is a production that has to be seen, and a company that is sure to become a defining presence in modern theatre.
[Tom Powell]
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