Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead, at Belvoir Street Theatre

Set in remote territory on the Polish/Czech border, Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead is a remarkably detailed, left of centre, dramatic and comedic whodunnit.

At its core is animal cruelty, the protection of animals and environmentalism – a dark morality tale, if you will.

It is based on a 2009 Polish book by Olga Tokarczuk, which was subsequently translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones and released in 2018.

This adaption is by director Eamon Flack.

Janina Duszejko (Pamela Rabe) is an ageing, spirited woman and former teacher with ailments, who is heavily into astrology.

She also helps her younger friend Dizzy (Daniel R. Dixon) translate the poetry of Englishman William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) into Polish.

Incidentally, the title of the play is drawn from a William Blake proverb, which addresses its theme, namely the cycle of life, death and nature.

One night, Duszejko is awoken by banging on her door from her neighbour Oddball (Bruce Spence).

He tells her that another neighbour, named Big Foot (Colin Moody), has died in his cabin and they need to get there immediately.

Duszejko didn’t like Big Foot because he was a frequent hunter and she abhors the violence that humans inflict on animals.

Big Foot apparently choked to death, but his is just the start of a succession of hunter deaths.

That is when Janina gets it into her head that animals are getting their own back, namely that they are killing humans by way of vengeance.

She shares the theory with the police, who simply dismiss her as a crazy old woman.

Bear in mind that Janina is someone who has an animal graveyard in her backyard.

She appears to care more for animals than people.

Mind you, she does form a relationship with an entomologist who researches endangered beetles.

Inevitably, as the deaths mount, matters will come to a head.

At three hours plus two 15-minute intervals, Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead is a long play due to its attention to detail.

As brilliantly written as it is, I am not convinced it needed to be that lengthy.

And, in my case, a technical glitch at the performance I attended before it had even begun (ah, the joys of live theatre) held it up for a further half hour.

The acting, led by the indomitable Pamela Rabe is exceptional.

Every time I see Rabe, it reinforces what a fine exponent of her craft she is.

She switches, seemingly effortlessly and convincingly, from the dramatic to the humorous and, in this case, the quirky.

Without question, she is the dominant force in this production. Her character is the one who leads the ensemble on quite the bizarre journey.

But around her the talent is equally engaging and entertaining, starting with Colin Moody as the dead body that comes to life, albeit briefly.

The evergreen Bruce Spence brings a desired awkwardness to his representation of Oddball, while Daniel R. Dixon channels a doting quality as Dizzy.

Ten of the 11 cast members step into multiple parts – human and animal – with ease.

The eclectic staging by Romanie Harper is very much in keeping with the eccentric nature of the piece, starting with a representation of winter snow.

All elements of the production, which includes costuming by Ella Butler, lighting from Morgan Moroney and composition by Alyx Dennison, come together seamlessly.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead requires concentration to follow the disparate threads, but persistence is rewarded.

This distinctive flight of fancy is on at Belvoir Street Theatre until 10^th May, 2026.