Hilary Bell’s play, which was first produced in 1996, was
Bell’s response to cases like the murder of toddler James Bulger by two
ten-year-olds and another case involving a four-year-old killed by a thirteen-year-old
boy. It is not so much the unfathomable death of toddlers at the hands of
children that is Bell’s chief focus. It is our response, as society, to these
young killers- our outrage, our hatred, our condemnation to blame their parents
or to quantify it by stating that some people are just ‘born evil’. Further to
that is trying to recognise how the parents of those children who committed
these crimes manoeuvre through the media and public backlash and try to come to terms with the implications, roles and responsibilities as parents amongst the tragedy.
It’s been sometime since ‘Wolf Lullaby’ was staged and so it
was nice to see the New Theatre tackle this play. Directed by Emma Louise,
there is integrity in this production that manages to find the tension in the
dilemma and its relationships. Maryellen George was strong in the lead role as nine-year-old
Lizzie Gael. Finding the childlike aspects of the character is a challenge for
any adult actor but George was convincing in her playfulness, inquisitiveness
and cheekiness.
Lucy Miller (as mother Angela Gael) and David Woodland
(father Warren Gael) projected parents trying to do their best- fractured, fearful
of the way ahead and the implications of their role as genetic creators and guardians
of Lizzie. What does it mean now and in the future if they created this? Nature
versus nurture debates abound as they step carefully around the minefield of
public perception or try to profit from curious media scrutiny. Both Miller and
Woodland were believable in their grief and confusion and their relationship
had complexity and truth. Peter McAllum as Sergeant Ray Armstrong was part
intimidation and part paternal in his portrayal, vacillating between wanting to
condemn this child and protect her in the same action.
There are some nice touches to the set design from Allan
Walpole and lighting designer Heidi Brosnan. The spirit of the wolf, shown at
the end in the reflective paint and red hues that lie under our foundations, flashed
with the sounds of heartbeats from designers Chelsea Reed and Alexander
Tweedale, was a powerful metaphor for what lies under the surface for each and every one of us. As Warren states '..it was just games. All kids did it. You had to...But we stopped in time." 'Wolf Lullaby' takes us past the point of what might happen if we didn't stop in time. The visual and aural representation of the murky undergrowth of morality was a lovely finish to this play.
There are still moments when this production is finding its rhythm
but it is a solid, faithful interpretation from a highly competent ensemble and
they are invested in the text and its expression.
It’s worth a viewing.
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