Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat and Eschara at the Union Theatre
The war on terror has inspired countless works of art over the past decade. But few are likely to be as aggressive and moving as the short plays currently showing at the Union Theatre.
Cheekish Productions has collected together two cycles, each by a different writer and each containing three short plays. The voices of playwrights Mark Ravenhill and Phillip Whiteman are distinctive and very loud. Their alarming styles at first seem inappropriately matched to the war on terror. But it soon becomes clear that deconstructing the conflict through trauma and outright rage can be incredibly powerful.
In the first play, a British soldier assaults an Iraqi widow, screaming at her to love him. In another scene, middle-class parents succumb to the fear and misery bred by war. The final piece is the production's most moving: two sisters coming to terms with the horrors of terrorism in a perfect performance delivered by two fine young actors.
One major concern is that the Union Theatre was not even half full last night. It's a huge shame. Don't be one of the ones who miss out on this important production.