Liam Rudden: War plays - what are they good for?

Published on Friday 16 January 2009 13:25

"WAR. What is it good for?" asked Edwin Star. "Absolutely nothing". Unless, it appears, you are a theatre producer.

You might think our fascination for war would be sated by the endless TV news footage of the current destruction in Gaza, but you'd be wrong. After a glut of war-time plays in 2008, from Sunset Song to All Quiet On The Western Front, Black Watch (which now seems to have been on tour for as long as Riverdance) to Sunshine On Leith, you might expect an escape from trench-tales now that the 90th anniversary of the end of WW1 has passed. Wrong again. No fewer than six productions focusing on war are set to tour here.

They start at The Brunton Theatre on January 30 with The Tailor of Inverness, the award-winning Fringe show by Matthew Zajac. The play tells the story of Zajac's Polish born father, charting his life as a conscript in the armies of both Communist Russia and Nazi Germany, and how he fled to Scotland.

Next, Scamp Theatre Company's touring production of Private Peaceful (Feb 19) comes to The Brunton. Originally written as a novel by Michael Morpurgo, the inspiration for the piece came from a visit to Ypres, during which the author discovered how many young soldiers had been court-martialed and shot for cowardice during WW1. It brings to life the story of Tommo who, as he awaits his destiny with the firing squad, reflects on his short life growing up in Devon and his journey to the front line.

In March the action moves from Ypres to the Somme, as another actor looks to his ancestors for the narrative of his one-man play. My Grandfather's Great War interweaves the WW1 diaries of Captain Alexander Stewart with the contemporary upbringing of his grandson. Still at the Brunton, fast forward five days and We'll Meet Again – Hits From The Blitz takes the first of two lighter looks at life during the Blitz.

At the King's Theatre, For King And Country, by John Wilson (from March 31) is another tale of a young WW1 soldier charged with desertion. This time told from the point of view of an army lawyer determined to save his client from the firing squad.

Finally, local amateurs Southern Light Opera get in on the act with Lionel Bart's Blitz, set, where else, the East End of London as it is bombarded by Hitler's bombs.

When death and destruction abound in every news bulletin, surely it's time for something more uplifting.