Review: Striking the Motherlode with 'The Good Earth'

Somehow, the tiny hole-in-the-wall that is The Flea Theater in the TriBeCa section of New York City was the perfect venue for an intimate story about a tiny town in the valley of South Wales. The Good Earth is a tale which examines the importance of familial roots while bringing home the perils of clinging to those roots when the very world around them has eroded.

When a community is notified by a government official that the mountain upon which the tiny Welsh town is settled is unstable, the news is met with skepticism. Despite the government’s offer to resettle the community into new homes “down the road,” one family leads the charge to resist the intervention. Though the government insists the mountain is “moving,” some of the locals just can’t see it, and if they can’t see it, why leave? Leaving means more than leaving their houses, it means leaving the place their families called home for generations.

It means uprooting, when the roots are long and deep. When do you decide the diseased tree is no longer worth saving and it is time to pull the whole thing out by those roots? Who gets to decide that the tree is no longer viable? Why do they get to decide when the tree is happy to continue being a tree?

This is the crux of The Good Earth, put together by the entirely Welsh company Motherlode. It is an emotional story about humanity and the desire we all have to cling to what we know, and to protect the places we call home.

The play itself, a Motherlode Theatre production, is conducted beautifully. The dramatic elements are infused with just enough comedic moments that allow the audience to breathe. The minimalist set, just some tables and chairs, allows the talent of the cast to shine through. Whether it is a capella songs drifting throughout the tiny theater or the creative use of space, director Rachel Boulton lets the cast embody the spirit of a Welsh community that transports the audience straight to the valley.

We get to know the family at the forefront of the resistance, led by Rachel Boulton who stars as the family matriarch, Dina Adams. Boulton believably brings to life a woman frazzled by a hard life with even harder choices. The single mother pushes her son, James (Michael Humphreys) into the role of the reluctant leader who must face the government council in their bid to stay on the mountain. Humphreys fits the mold to perfection, landing the play’s sole male perspective with precision. Anni Dafydd plays Gwen, James’ fiancé. The pair portray a fantastic and at times amusing couple, superbly acted and providing a bit of frivolity in an often very serious piece. Kate Elis knocks it out of the park in the role of Trish, a woman with a penchant for the opposite sex. She is the familiar townswoman but makes the role a memorable one with her out-sized humor and excellent timing.

The show is “stolen,” however, by Gwenllian Higginson, who plays Jackie, Dina’s precocious and whimsically innocent daughter. Higginson is so adept at appearing child-like that it is almost forgotten that she is very much a full-grown actress. Jackie’s relationship with James is particularly heart-warming in only the way a big-brother-little-sister relationship can be. It is clear that even though the conversation revolves around the mountain, the greater argument for Dina Adams is about what her youngest child’s future will look like.

For those familiar with South Wales, The Good Earth will strike a very somber chord. Sadly, for those unfamiliar with Welsh history, some of the emotional punch may be lost but there is still plenty of universal appeal. For those learning about a new culture, it will serve as a poignant reminder that humanity is very similar in even foreign environments. The Good Earth reinforces that our individual struggles are not all that different even if the setting might seem a bit more at odds with our own daily lives.

The Good Earth is well worth the price of admission.