On a blustery, cold and wet Valentine’s evening we arrived at the New Wolsey Theatre to collect our tickets for Our Big Land and were given a map and directions on how to get to the New Wolsey Studios. Having never been to the studios before, after an easy 5 minute walk we arrived at what looked like a lovingly restored building. I was quite excited to see what it was like inside and with a polite welcome from the staff, found the foyer small and compact with a nice friendly feel to it and enough space to mingle prior to the performance. I was also pleased to see that there was an area where we could purchase refreshments. Looking forward to seeing the performance studio after my good first impressions, I found the studio had comfortable padded benches and once seated we had a chance to view the set which was perfectly set with scenery and props to give us a flavour of what to expect from the play.
I have to confess I had wondered whether or not to see Our Big Land as it is not the type of play I would usually choose. I always tend to go for light hearted comedy or musical theatre and when I read a brief plot of the play describing it on the New Wolsey website as “a provocatively dark atmospheric piece of theatre with the culture clash between Romany and non-Romany community at its core” I did consider not going as it’s not really my type of thing. However, when reflecting on my decision I thought why not try something different, what’s the worst that could happen? When the lights went down for the start of the show they came back on and we were in the presence of Oceania, a powerful Gypsy matriarch standing her ground protecting her family and land, pointing a shotgun out towards the audience straight in our direction. I have to say, my friend and I both looked at each other, raised our eyebrows and thought this could be an interesting Valentine’s evening to remember! I am pleased to say it definitely was but for all the right reasons!
We both found the production gripping, the interesting plot hooked us in right from the start and I can honestly say it kept my attention all the way through. Oceania (Robyn Moore) Roman (Samuel Edward-Cook) and Sophie (Scarlett Brookes) were fantastically talented and completely convincing in their roles, so much so that I felt transported into their world giving me an appreciation of living in a Romany community. Sarah Dowling’s choreography was very clever and I particularly liked the tender moments between Roman and Sophie before their wedding day. The gypsy songs, music and language weaved into the play added to the atmosphere, completely engulfing the audience into the story making us feel part of the whole experience. There were moments that I have to admit I found a bit tense and uncomfortable (I am a bit of a scaredy cat!) and if watching this on TV, in places I would have reached for the remote control to change the channel for a brief moment but that said, I am glad I didn’t have that opportunity as it was all relevant to the plot and I felt it really gave me an insight to culture and traditions I know nothing about.
Thank you to everyone involved in this production, including Dan Allum for a wonderfully creative piece of writing and The Romany Theatre Company for an excellent piece of theatre and to the New Wolsey Theatre for doing such a great job in bringing great shows to Ipswich and making theatre accessible to everyone.
A last reflection on my experience would be to say sometimes it’s easy to stay in your comfort zone and make excuses to not try something different. On this occasion I am glad I took the opportunity to see Our Big Land as it has given me a greater understanding of a culture I have no experience of. It has also given me the confidence to see other productions that I would usually consider not to be ‘my cup of tea’. So when opportunities arise I say seize the day. As I said earlier “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Reviewed by: Angela Wright, 3rd Year Tourism and Event Management Student, University Campus Suffolk
Blogs and reviews posted on Ipswich Town and Waterfront are generated by the people who make up the community of Ipswich. If you are passionate about Ipswich and have a great story to share about our town then please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Natalie Chaplin
