And Then Come the Nightjars is a play about a farmer and a vet – not normally the sort of subject I’d tend to see a play about; perhaps not normally the sort of subject people write plays about. But with four stars apiece from Time Out, The Daily Telegraph, The Evening Standard and The Guardian, I certainly was curious to see what the fuss was about.
I arrived at the North Wall Theatre to see more flat caps and Barbour jackets than I’ve ever seen at the theatre. I suppose I’d never really thought about it before, but it’s very easy to pigeonhole the concept of ‘theatre’ to be something which only appeals to a very specific audience, whereas in reality, perhaps if more plays were about subjects which were of interest to people from different walks of life, perhaps there would be more variety of audiences in our theatres. Hmm. Something to think about.
In any case, Bea Roberts has written a wonderful and appealing play. It’s filled with humour and driven by a love of language and the interaction of a couple of unlikely companions – Michael, a crusty Devonshire cattle farmer coming to terms with the loss of his wife, and Jeff, a dairy vet with a dissolving marriage and a penchant for pub quiz questions. The men share a grudging friendship, despite their differences in education, social standing, and career paths. The first act sees them sharing whisky and trading cheerful insults in Michael’s barn as they wait for the birth of a new calf, but the banter has an undertone of darkness, which come to the fore in the next act with the onslaught of Foot and Mouth disease, in which Michael realises that ‘his girls’ will have to be slaughtered, and that Jeff will be the one to kill them.
Theatre 503, Bristol Old Vic, and Tara Finney Productions Ltd. have come together to produce a warm, poignant, and funny play – the friendship that plays out on stage is an unusual one, and yet, David Fielder and Nigel Hastings bring life to two very credible characters who struggle through together against the odds. ★★★★☆ @BookingAround 6th October 2016
