The Halcyonite

A shocking and unconventional adaptation of Olga Tokarczuk’s eponymous novel

Image Source: (Barbican Theatre)

By Liam

’24

“The best conversations are with yourself.”

This is a quote from Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, said by the protagonist of the play, that well describes the winding script and flow of this new play, currently showing  at the Barbican Theater.

Before going to see this production, I was not excited, seeing how the play had a runtime of 3 hours. However, the play proved to be vastly entertaining.  There was not a single moment of slack in the entire production. Sure, it was not what one might call “normal” or conventional–the frequent breaking of the 4th wall and flashing lights proved this–but it was intricately put together as a wonderful mix of a thriller, dark comedy, and mystery that made important statements about nature, and our relationship with other species in the world. The play in my view frequently brings in themes of humanity’s self-importance over the natural world, but interpretations differed within the group that I watched this with, which is usually a good sign for a play; it makes you think.

Kathryn Hunter’s Janina Duszejko was a well-portrayed persona who is a character the audience would both support and find insufferable. She brings a certain comedy to the stage which always works in favor of narrative; it never seems unnatural or forced. The compelling way that moments on scene come together with her personal comedic monologues is near-perfect, and the fragmented timelines still leave the play understandable, and are not excessive, though they sometimes seem superfluous.

The one issue I found with the play was how things besides the comedy seemed forced. While the flashing lights were an eye-catching (and blinding) addition, the blasting house music that would come with it occasionally was very distracting and often didn’t really fit in. Still, the play was an interesting and modern piece that I can recommend to the majority of people, particularly those who have a passion for nature or simply like a good production.

Overall Rating: 8/10