By Catriona Lamb

The cast and crew of The Wasteland set themselves quite a challenge in dramatising one of the most influential literary works of the 19th century and boy, did they deliver! Walking into the theatre, the audience was faced with the six sombre faces of the cast accompanied by a wave of classical music creating an almost sinister atmosphere. The piece began with a single spotlight projected on Melissa Jones who occupied the seat at the front of the stage. Immediately it became clear the standard of acting we could expect; sleek, dramatic and completely captivating.

In particular, Suzanna Swanson-Johnson delivered such a commendable performance it was difficult not to give her a standing ovation after her portrayal of one of the chess players, with a wonderfully dramatised country accent. It must be said that overall the performances were of such a high standard I really felt a connection to the characters of the Wasteland which I hadn’t even felt after studying it in depth. Twice. Once at University level. Mishia Leggett’s voice was an absolute pleasure to listen to and her warm tone allowed the audience some respite from the pervading sense of doom that comes with The Wasteland. A particularly compelling performance was also given by David Tremble who really sent shivers up my spine when talking of the sailor with pearls as eyes (by far the scariest part of The Wasteland I’m sure we can all agree).

The set design also showed a significant amount of time and effort. The pages torn from books and glued to the Barron floor as well as the bunting, helped heighten the sense that the audience was truly submerged in Eliot’s work. Lighting was used very creatively, particularly the use of a bright white light placed in the centre stage, allowing for a moment of extreme clarity contrasted with moments of complete black-out and an extremely unsettling red light.

If there is one aspect of The Wasteland that fell short, it was in the lack of movement. I really yearned to see the characters get up off the chairs as they performed their soliloquies and make full use of the Barron space. I felt the restriction of the characters to the seats meant for a less dramatised performance, although this maintained the sense that this was a dramatised reading, rather than a play.

Overall I was extremely impressed by the Wasteland. The acting was wonderful, the set was inventive and compelling and I really engaged with The Wasteland as a result. Jo Bowman has definitely shown in this first production of the semester (organised in only 3 weeks!) that she is a more than capable director and the perfect person to take on a role as demanding as President of Mermaids.