Motherland

You’d have to be a stern utopian to refer to Russia’s history as heartening. No doubts about it they’ve had some dark days, the Russian Revolution and Operation Barbarossa spring to mind, but dark times can breed great characters and that’s the case with Motherland.

From the chaos of a Russian military coup, through the hell of Nazi-occupied France to a turbulent Brisbane in the throes of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the intertwining of three different timelines is something that one would render impossible to pull off, but makes this production all the more intriguing – especially as each timeline follows events in the life a remarkable real woman.

“It’s not linear at all, we kind of jump back and forth between times and also places because the play is set in Russia a little bit, but also in Paris and Brisbane. So we link all of those times and places together,” explained actress Kerith Atkinson.

Atkinson depicts one of the play’s two Australian characters, Nell Tritton, an affluent Brisbane socialite with a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

“She moved to Sydney to become a journalist, then moved to Europe to become a bit of a foreign correspondent and ended up working for ex-Russian Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky and eventually married him and became embroiled in all the Russian politics of the time,” said Atkinson.

The response from Australian audiences so far is something that the playwright and actors are extremely proud of.

Atkinson added: “Audiences are loving it, at the end of the play, we can hear lots of snuffles. It’s really moving people, there’s been a lot of passion around the historical aspect as well.” (AH)

May 17–22. Glen Street Theatre, corner Glen Street and Blackbutts Road, Belrose. $16-$64. Tickets & info: glenstreet.com.au or 9975 1455

BY ANDREW HODGSON