Widow Bird

In this fantasy, a young woman discovers her tears heal people, even from death. She leaves her village to offer her services to the kingdom, but finds herself enslaved and forced to resurrect soldiers in an endless war. This ambitious play explores themes of self-sacrifice, emotions versus rationality, the roles of the sexes, and social power. Gibson combines elements borrowed from Greek tragedy, medieval morality tale and folk stories to make an interesting and creative piece in the tradition of magical realism.

This production is energetic but needs a little work to truly capture the spirit of the writing. Gibson’s script is largely narrated – as is necessary for a fable – and this provides specific challenges and opportunities. Here, the story telling detracts a little from the action. The effect is almost like a poetry reading interrupted by occasional bursts of activity. Because of this, my companion and I found it difficult to suspend disbelief and get into the fantasy world of the play.

The lighting was interestingly handled with coloured spots illustrating different moods, and Steven Fitzgerald on the marimbula was excellent. All the acti