Kenzie - Paul James Corrigan
Stewarty - Ali Craig
Fraz - Emun Elliot
Officer - Jack Fortune
Granty - Jonathan Hot
Writer/Sergeant - Michal Nardone
Rossco - Henry Pettigrew
Cammy - Paul Rattray
Nasby - Nabil Stewart
(Understudy - William Barlow)
A National Theatre of Scotland production Directed by John Tiffany and designed by Laura Hopkins. Movement Direction by Steven Hoggett and Musical Direction by Davey Anderson. I wouldn't normally mention those last two but they are listed as Associate Directors and quite rightly so.
See in a completely reconstructed Barbican theatre (similar to Nick Omerod's staging) during it's short run at the Barbican.
In the audience we had Sir Ian McKellan and a swathy Mediterranean looking friend and A A Gill who, on reflection looks a bit like Jack Fortune.
I am going to spam a load of YouTube links because I can hardly put into words, the beauty of this piece. It is loud, brash, challenging and full of expletives but it feels as though you are listening to poetry whilst being gently pulled through a warm, moonlit stream to the sound of angelic sirens singing.Some of the physical prop devices are straight out of an homage to Robert Lepage, I hope he got to see it somewhere because he'd love it. The music and movement element was so powerful and given that the piece was based on interviews with real soldiers, to take all the words out of the expression was brave but perfectly judged. I didn't bother to stay dry eyed. It would have been futile.
I was really looking forward to seeing Jack Fortune again. It's probably 20 odd years since I last saw him on stage. He's lost a lot of hair (well, for this production, he would have to) but I think the follicles are still intact and he still has powerful eyes and a softness to his chisled contours.
I'm just going to link this rather than embed in case anyone is offended by challenging language.
The Glasgow Herald prefer not to embed so click here.
we even have making of the set
and finally, a link to an old fave of mine, Jack Fortune
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