Gundog

As with most productions at this venue, way upstairs at the Kings Cross Hotel, the setting is at absolute minimum: what you tend to watch is the half of the audience watching from the other side. This time, in between there’s a small bale of hay, a fork and bucket, and what looks like a dead sheep. It’s enough. The brilliant five-strong cast carry you through two hours of exceptional drama.

Set in the backblocks of rural Yorkshire, a young traveller (Saro Lepejian) sings to the sheep in a foreign language before being bailed up by two sisters, the property owners, who demand to know his name. ‘Guy Tree’, he improvises under pressure from Becky (LJ Wilson), the younger and louder of the two, and Anna (Jane Angharad), who has the long, deadly weapon. ‘Guy’ decides to stay in this weird, complicated place, where there’s no hint of romance or sexual tensions, just hard work.

Soon we meet Ben (James Smithers), the older brother, who turns up after 3 years away with nothing to declare, not even a pair of shoes. The cast is completed when Grandad Mick (Mark Langham) appears, repeatedly recounting stories that brand him a victim of early onset dementia. It seems Mother has died earlier and Father is just a wanton spirit around the farm, never appearing on stage.

Here then is the situation. The action skips about, going forward and backwards in time, the girls never really getting anywhere, the farm sinking deeper into poverty. The cast press on towards disaster. Gundog is beautiful in its composition and epic in its execution.

Anthony Skuse is excellent in his direction of the piece, never letting go from the opening scene. And his cast respond well, some tackling more than one job. Jane Angharad is co-producer and leading actor: James Smithers is great playing Ben and also the Set Designer. 

LJ Wilson as the talkative schoolgirl Becky reaches heights not often seen by this brilliant company.

Frank Hatherley

Photographer: Clare Hawley