Writer/Director: Craig Henry
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Intriguing Ripple Effect“
3.5 / 5
Ten years ago was a momentous period in UK politics. The 2015 election saw Cameron and Miliband battle against each other, the shocking murder of labour politician Jo Cox was a sobering tragedy, and the Brexit referendum sent shockwaves around Europe. Each of these events divided the country, forced political discourse into every conversation and shaped the future of Britian in many different ways.
Writer Craig Henry takes a snapshot of 2015/2016 Britain and rather than crafting a narrative about anyone directly involved, he instead focuses on four individuals at the start of their careers, each on the fringes of these events, showing the ordinary people affected by the extraordinary events that are exploding around them. Two journalism interns – Daisy (Tumi Olufawo) and Liam (Joseph Samimi) are competing for a job – reporting on these shocking news stories and finding their own unique spin on various events in the hope that their voice breaks through the constant and deafening breaking news updates. Press officer Hugh (Maximilian Graham) works in Whitehall – nervous and unconfident, his private schooling hasn’t quite prepared him for a magnitude first year in the job. Yorkshire librarian Harriet (Laura Jennifer Banks) is a big supporter of Jo Cox, often interacting with her as a key member of the community, but her quest to find love is less successful.
It’s an intriguing show, and it’s a great choice to focus on the impact had on everyone, rather than just those at the heart of the stories. By showcasing the small ripples that wind up reaching everyone, it highlights the intensity and importance of large-scale events, while still keeping the show storyline relatable and down to earth. Henry’s character writing is strong – with each of the four each having a distinct voice and engaging material in each of their vignettes. Segregating the stories as four mini snapshots that occasionally collide, does work – though could be adapted on stage slightly better to avoid the constant ‘on / off’ staging, that becomes too repetitive and disrupts the flow and pacing of the show. Finding a way to transition each scene into each other a little better would really help to keep the snappy writing at the forefront.
Daisy is the anchor – interacting with each of the other three characters in various scenarios, creating another smaller orbit in addition to the larger political foundation of the plot. Olufawo is a strong performer, showcasing her range well, and displaying genuine chemistry with everyone on stage. Banks and Graham portray very different types of characters, but are both brilliantly humorous, though they also capture emotion, insecurity and sensitivity well. Samimi is great as the catalyst and opposite to Daisy’s methodical approach to journalism – his character seems to be somewhat less featured in comparison to Daisy, Hugh and Harriet, but Samimi’s moments on stage are well-performed and enjoyable.
Her Country is an enjoyable show, the well-developed characters creating an intriguing combination of political and personal viewpoints during a tumultuous two year period in UK history.
Runs until 30th January 2025
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