Angels Among The Trees

There is a danger when writing a play about historical events that you research your subject matter so well, you forget that your audience don't know it all and fail to put in enough detail for them. This may be the trap into which Jonathon Holloway fell in creating this brand new play, whose first ever performance I saw.

From the beginning the narrative skips forward confusingly in uneven time jumps, and between locations, making it difficult to follow events. The small cast of only 9 actors play 26 roles adds to confusion in each scene.

The play relates the true story of the Donner Party, a large group travelling west across America in 1846 hoping to make a fortune in California. They are deceived into believing that they can take a shortcut and are caught in the mountains by the early onset of Winter. As a microcosm of American values, the prevailing ethic of the time is survival of the fittest - those that can keep walking leaving behind the rest to either struggle through the snow or sit it out until spring.

Their ability to survive is hampered by selfishness and a lack of trust and co-operation. As their situation becomes more desperate, they resort to eating one another. There is heroism and generosity too, however - particularly in Stanton (Chris Porter) whose repeated attempts at rescues lead to his inevitable death. The star of the show however is gritty Sheffield man Foster, excellently portrayed by Tony Bell, who is the first, unapologetically and somewhat prematurely, to advocate cannibalism.

There are many moral issues raised by the play - the genocide of the Indians, natural justice, selfishness and altruism, eating human flesh to survive - but not one of them is really investigated. Perhaps focussing on a smaller time frame and fewer characters, with a less rigid adherence to telling the whole events of that winter would have given an opportunity to properly delve the ethical dimension.

Despite its faults, this is an interesting and engrossing production with some superb acting. Whilst the set doesn't really capture the hostility and bleakness of a mountain winter, it is imaginative and attractive. The music is also very accomplished - the cast manage to sing their way through a scene-change without turning the play into a cheesy musical.

My tips for getting the most from this play are to grow tall or sit near the front. Some of the action takes place in front of the stage and is hard to see if you're sitting behind one of the Harlem Globetrotters. Also get there early, buy a drink and a programme and read it thoroughly.