"A wonderfully acted new play by the Welsh company Motherlode, whose gorgeous, often solemn a cappella soundscape breathes the villagers’ very heritage into the air…The precise nature of the conflict in the play is not as clear as it could be…Without that clarity, the ending lacks the power it needs. Even so, this 80-minute play flies by. Comic and celebratory, melodic and mournful, it’s an elegy for a place that’s not dead yet."
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"It's a rich situation, but it suffers in the presentation…The company's acting style is broadly stylized…Clearly, Motherlode is a collective of enterprising artists, and there is real vigor and more than a little talent onstage. There is, however, a fundamental disconnect between story and storytelling here…A fascinating situation is flattened out, purposely rendered in two-dimensional terms. Time and again, we get glimpses of intriguing details that nobody seems interested in illuminating."
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"An energetic but rocky play…Of complexity, there isn't much…And although there doesn't necessarily need to be, a little might temper what is otherwise an overly brash and bombastic evening…The roundly broad and often shouty performances do not match the specifically inward-looking nature of the writing…Worse, certain key concepts that might better support this are not developed as fully as they could be."
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"Boulton directed the production and her work in that regard is perfection. Visually it’s a small-scale spectacle and a great display of physical theater yielding precise and vivid imagery. The actors forcefully conjure up so much with only their voices and bodies. Their characterizations are all uniformly vibrant, bold and emotional. Narrative momentum slows in the second half, but 'The Good Earth's' superior stagecraft carries it through to its moving conclusion."
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"A brilliant endeavor...For Boulton, contributing as actor and director can be an enormous challenge, but she excels in both roles…The cast of five actors give strong performances which highlight their mastery of comic physical storytelling and robust vocal abilities...Overall, 'The Good Earth' is an expertly devised physical theater piece that is as humorous as it is heartbreaking; and a confirmation that inspired storytelling can activate and move its listeners."
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"This production balletically utilizes the furniture to raise tension (it does) and embody upheaval…Sound is clear, crisp and hauntingly arranged. Musical direction by Max Mackintosh is splendid...Stylization works for the piece, except perhaps in the portrayal of Jackie, who appears a spastic caricature...The company all have fine voices and move with precision and energy. Facial expressions are priceless…Mike Humphreys is a wonderful James: proud, tender, imaginative, and manly."
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"A thought-provoking, gripping play about physical vs. spiritual survival…Directed with style by Rachael Boulton, the show makes for a compelling experience…The show presents us with endless opportunities for empathy, both in the intimate scale, but also on a collective one...We can’t help but feel a moral obligation to leave the theater and demand that governmental institutions help fulfill our needs, which makes 'The Good Earth,' rousing political theatre of the best kind."
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"The play doesn’t infuse the drama with stakes that seem high enough to account for those extremes of feeling which culminate in James’s defiant, climactic speech to the Council...But despite its flaws, this collaboratively written play is very well worth seeing for the marvelous performances; for the sheer, stripped grandeur of the clever minimalist staging; for the troupe’s mastery of meta-theatricality to create a livid, vivid world; and for its overall emotional punch."
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