We’re big fans of plays that actually say something – and Mike Bartlett’s new show Juniper Blood certainly has a lot to say. Initially, it seems like we’re in for an extremely middle-class, lighthearted drama: we meet couple Ruth (Hattie Morahan) and Lip (Sam Troughton) on the farm they have recently acquired in a bid to live a more eco-friendly, sustainable life. They are visited by Milly (Nadia Parkes), Ruth’s former daughter-in-law; Milly’s friend Femi (Terique Jarrett); and neighbouring farmer Tony (Jonathan Slinger).
What begins as an initial conversation about how Ruth and Lip intend to use the farm becomes something much bolder and more ambitious: at its heart is an exploration of how we can live responsibly in this toxic capitalist society we find ourselves. There are big, existential questions posed: about whether our planet really has enough resource to support population increase at its current rate, or whether advances in technology really can help us as much as we’ll need them to in the future. Various perspectives are delivered by our five characters – there’s an interesting generational divide too, with Nadia Parkes giving an authentic Gen Z angle, which is an entertaining counterfoil to the middle-aged Tony.
It’s an unusual play in terms of its structure – it plays out in three acts of about 40-50 minutes each, with two intervals. We actually quite enjoyed this format; it feels more like watching a mini-series, with each act set a significant time period after the preceding one. We initially encounter Ruth and Lip as they have just taken over the farm and are idealistic about the future they can build there; in act two, we revisit them when the reality of running the farm and trying to make the numbers add up has started to bite; act three sees Lip having taken his idealism to an extreme, to the detriment of his relationship with Ruth.
Generally speaking it all works very well – Mike Bartlett is great at writing characters and naturalistic conversations, and it’s in these that the play really shines. There are some interesting perspectives shared and some genuinely very funny observations and quips within the dialogue. It does occasionally become a little didactic – Femi, who is studying a tangentially-related course at university, seems to exist mainly to explain contemporary theories on sustainable farming – which is a shame, as we appreciated the energy Tarique Jarrett brought to the stage, and would have liked to have seen his character a little more developed.
Overall, though, we enjoyed our evening with Juniper Blood – it’s a thought-provoking, compelling new play, one that feels timely and urgent.
GAY TIMES gives Juniper Blood – 4/5
More information can be found here.
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