The Stage - Review: Lilies on the Land

Mon 23 Apr 2012

Written by Julie Watterston, The Stage

One of the most poignant thoughts on watching Lilies on the Land is that, had this been written ten years later, it may never have been written at all and the Women’s Land Army may have been left without such a beautifully crafted epitaph.

Kate Copeland is Margie, the innocent girl from a nice, working class background who is jeered at when she takes the cow to be “serviced” by the bull, Sarah Finch is Poppy - an aristocratic, upper class girl who mucks in with some hesitation, Catriona Martina is the bubbly, sociable Vera and Kali Peacock is the wistful and funny Peggy who marries one of the farm hands. Between them, the cast of four cover the joy of knowing that their hard grafting employment was making a difference, to experiencing the hardships of the harsh outdoor life. They take us through the close relationships they build with their fellow land girls, the heady dances with the American soldiers and the less salubrious moments of abuse and exploitation.

Sonia Ritter directs with clarity of purpose, ensuring that the land girls’ stories are heard in a funny and heart-warming way, and Jane Linz Roberts has designed an attractive and functional set which supports the cast superbly in bringing to life this theatrically compelling narrative.