A foggy horizon overlays a barren no man’s land that seems to go on for miles. A disintegrating schoolhouse, is the lively nucleus of the dirt field on stage. Gathered around a chalk-drawn map are a schoolteacher, students, and his family as a small boy questions, “What’s incorrect about the place names we have here?” Brian Friel’s modern classic, Translations reveals that making a map is not as innocent as it seems.
Directed by Ian Rickson for a timely revival at London’s National Theatre, a rural village in 1833’s Ireland faces many unexpected challenges amidst England’s impending colonization. Hugh, the head master, serves as the only source of education for the homely, Gaelic-speaking village, where the students possess diverse hopes and dreams. When Hugh’s eldest son returns as an English translator with two British “cartographers,” the village is rocked.
Although Freil says Translations is “a play about language and only about language,” it is intensely self-aware in its aspiration to make a political statement. It’s opening at the National Theatre’s main stage during the national chaos and uncertainty of the United Kingdom’s Brexit ordeal, underscores the importance of the cultural context. The timing of the Translations premiere, allows the piece to capitalize on it’s political statement, which in turn can overshadow the immediate spectacle.
However, what the play may lack in fast-pacing and immediate enticement,
is bolstered by the performances as well it’s unique design elements. The Olivier Theatre produced a sense of artificial intimacy as the cast often used a focused, closed-in area of the stage despite its grand amphitheater-like space. This, combined with the low rumbling and suspenseful build of the sound design, ingrained an ominous uncertainty in the atmosphere. The environment aided the overall experience because it was able to mirror each character’s own apprehension. For example, the juxtaposition of the apocalyptic set with the occasional twinkles when night fell, hinted at the lively characters that are being dimmed, as they struggle to sprout from beneath the surface.
Amidst these interesting scenic elements, Judith Roddy shines as Maire, a driven young woman who is eager to learn the English language in hopes of immigrating to America someday. Her budding romance with the young English lieutenant, Yolland, played by Jack Bardoe, is a standout moment that transports the audience. Their charming encounter as they navigate each other’s unfamiliar languages while planning a future, is approached with a refreshing playfulness that impresses the audience, and distracts from Maire’s tension between her heritage and deepest ambitions. This standout moment where the audience is able to witness an experience, as opposed to a presentation is all we can ask of good theatre today.
Though Translations is a quiet build, it is explosive out of the gate with its message. It exposes the various ways people grapple with cultural erasure. The production serves as an artistic cautionary tale, urging us to confront barriers, whether they be linguistic, physical, or social.
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