Two Flats Theatre return to The Space for their third production, following A Blue Something (2021) and The Dalton Sisters (2022).
This time, Mother Soil is “a piece of political theatre” inspired by art, sacrifice, and conflict. A sort of Cain and Abel parable for modern times.
Writers Monika Matosevic and Ronja Ritter play sisters Emma and Robin, with Leon Bach as Casper, Emma’s childhood pal and Robin’s partner as they grow up.
Emma, the artist like her mother, flies the nest and seeks adventure elsewhere, while younger sister Robin is the homebody who wants to put down roots.
Line Guid Hedegaard’s production captures the sibling rivalry and tension within Mother Soil, but I didn’t feel either character fully evolved enough to justify the running time of this play.
It is a curious piece with a set that suggests a well-loved and lived-in home, and the filming is beautifully done to capture comings and goings as well as close-up expressions and gestures.
Time passing, ambitions reached and thwarted, friendships tolerated. Mother Soil handles the awkward romance between Casper and Robin with some flair.
The relationship between the sisters is tested by distance as Emma accepts a place in another country’s college, while there are some strong moments of comic action to counterpoint any unpleasantness.
Heading into act 2 we see the gulf between the sisters and their priorities, but I didn’t really understand why Emma had to become so self-centred and vile, so quickly.
Act 2 descends into almost a farce as the ‘divide’ becomes even more pronounced, which sadly doesn’t quite work, before it settles again on something more reflective, heading to a conclusion which doesn’r ring true at all.
There’s a story in here which could be teased out, but it isn’t quite there yet. The bond between sisters, mothers, and daughters is an age-old topic which can be explored in depth.
Mother Soil is interesting but more than a little muddled and may benefit from a little dramaturgical input outside of the main creators/cast.
This company is one to watch as they continually experiment with work which is challenging and offbeat.
Mother Soil was watched via livestream from The Space – details here.
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