Those I belonged to, those I have not forgotten, the irreplaceable ones, they kept their nerve, and they died. Read more …
On 1 July 1916, the 36th (Ulster) Division took part in one of the bloodiest battles in human history. The Battle of the Somme.
One hundred years on, a major new co-production of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme directed by Headlong’s Artistic Director, Jeremy Herrin.
In the extraordinary circumstances of WWI, eight ordinary men are changed, changed utterly…
This iconic war play by Frank McGuinness is a powerful portrayal of mortality, love and loss.
What more have we to tell each other?
Peppered with drum-beats throughout and set against the stunning scarlet skies of lighting designer Paul Keogan, Herrin's production has taken a genuinely brave piece of writing and made something that is both elegiac and heroic in every way.
Coupled with the blood-red skies of Ciaran Bagnall’s austere set, ferociously lit by Paul Keogan, it makes for a dark, brooding production that is too low on contrast to do justice to the play’s rich humanity.
This is an epic drama that demands recognition for the male human animal in all his complexity, across any boundaries of belief or belonging we care to construct; and it’s brought to life here by a superb cast.
The action does come briefly to life in the play’s final chapter as the group re-enacts the Battle of the Boyne before going over the top. This short scene of boys playing at soldiers achieves a poignancy otherwise lacking in a disappointingly stilted production.
It is in the final scenes as the men prepare to go over the top into battle where this production is at its most poignant, but even here it is difficult to feel truly connected to the piece, perhaps as a result of the mechanical script.
Extraordinary, haunting.
Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow from Friday May 20, 2016, until Saturday June 4, 2016. More info: www.citz.co.uk
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