Review of: Blackwatch

Black Watch (at 266 years old) is Scotland's most renowned infantry. The regiment's history goes from clan warfare through both World Wars to the present day conflict in Iraq. Black Watch's professional soldiers have served from generation to generation providing a source of national pride. Father and sons have willingly enlisted (known as "the Golden Thread") fighting not necessarily for any particular conflict but for national honor and their fellow "mates". It's their story and their history that is currently on stage at St. Ann's Warehouse. This might seem a rather dry source for a theater piece but it is quite the contrary. Black Watch is one of the most thrilling theatrical experiences of the theater season. Actually, its knockout premiere was last season and has been brought back by popular demand (this is my third time viewing the piece).

The play opens with a light show accompanied by exhilarating Scottish bagpipes followed by a cannon blast then a blackout. The lights come up on a group of ten Scottish soldiers in a pub drinking and bullshitting as they await an interviewer to whom they will relate their recent experiences in Iraq as members of the Black Watch. The air is heavy with testosterone (the course vernacular is littered with "fookin" and "coont" and is sometimes difficult to understand). As their reflections begin, the pub's pool table becomes an explosive storytelling devise setting the stage for the bracing stagecraft that follows.

As the young men give testimony, the political tone of the piece is not one of pacifism. The prevailing feeling is that war is a necessary evil, a dirty job that needs to done as professionally as possible. They have no qualms about the aspect of their being hired "bullies". As Cammy, the group's most articulate spokesperson puts it: "Sure, we're just big bullies...Well, we'll need to get fookin' used tay it. Bullying's the fookin' job. That's what the fookin' army's for."

It's the situation in Iraq that galls the men. Because of global restraints and unpopular opposition at home, they can not do the job they came here for. Days are often spent in languid boredom watching pornography or the awesome firepower of the United States bombers. Then, suddenly, without warning and planning the men are sent out on a reconnaissance mission into the Iraqi desert which is little more than a glorified suicide pact.

But, it's not the politics of the piece that sets it apart from the current crop of anti-war/war is hell plays. What catapults the evening into the stratosphere is the wildly inventive direction by John Tiffany. He is more than skillfully aided by movement director Stephen Hoggett and music director (those awe-inspiring bagpipes!!) Davey Anderson. This 'holy trinity of talent' has put together something that is somewhat difficult to put into words. The set pieces are more than British music hall song and dance (although they come from that genre) and the simulated battle scenes are beholden to cinematic techniques (mortar explosions and screaming missile fire reminiscent of Coppola's Apocalypse Now). The breathtaking highlight of the evening is having the entire history of the Black Watch told through a choreographed dress parade using Cammy (the charismatic Paul Rattray) as a sort of human mannequin. The lengthy, synchronized final battle scene is another visual assault on the senses as the soldiers act out the ultimate dance of death. It's as much a cry of despair as a realization of the absurdity of their situation.

Despite the visual and aural pyrotechnics, we never lose sight of the humanity of these soldiers. The entire ensemble is superb (having worked together for over 3 years, they are basically a family unit) and we are constantly taking up short by the profound dignity (and at times confusion) they bring to their situation. As Fraz (Emun Elliot), the wise-ass of the unit aptly puts it: "We invaded their country, we fucked up their day." Black Watch is a devastatingly challenging evening in the theater.

...end