Showing @ Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 15 Nov @ times vary
Sue Glover’s Bondagers speaks vividly of women repressed by patriarchal systems. Some may argue that that, in itself, is drawing parallels enough with contemporary society. But the play unearths a host of complex political and economical differences and discrepancies beyond the obvious. The bondagers Glover depicts are stuck in a system that seems unquestionable and inevitable and the real tragedy lies in the inability to break convention.
Glover’s contemporary classic takes place in the Borders in the mid-nineteenth century. Spanning a year, we see the seasons change and with them, the lives of six bondagers or female landworkers. Each define themselves by the work they do and the men they have (or dream of having).
It may take a while to get in to the rich and rhythmic language, but it’s soon pure poetry. The most striking thing about Lu Kemp’s production is the sense of vastness, of landscape. Jamie Vartan’s sparse and earthy design is at times both consuming, and liberating for the characters. It’s simplicity gives focus to the text as it drives the plot. As the story develops, the characters come into their own and their personalities strengthen. The hierarchy within the working class is examined through Ellen (Nora Wardell) who we see become wife of the master that owns the farm where the women are employed. The play trades sentimentality for a matter-of-fact tone that underpins the inertia. There’s no realistic way out of bondaging other than marriage or chancing emigration to Canada. They simply can’t afford to question the system. As the year comes full circle, things happen but nothing changes. Rich in intellect, this play is brain food; a continuing classic of the Scottish stage that asks: what is the price of change, and are we still too poor to ask for it?