Review- Black Watch

The Norfolk and Norwich Festival kicked off last Wednesday and as usual it brings to the city the best of current theatre.

Along with fellow volunteers working for the festival this year, I was offered free tickets to attend the press night of the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of ‘Black Watch’.  Although I’d picked up on the buzz surrounding the critically-acclaimed dramatization, I didn’t realise until afterwards how lucky I had been to be in the audience. In total ‘Black Watch’ has won 22 awards including four Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Director, Best Theatre Choreography, Best Play and Best Sound Design.

Winning 22 awards, Black Watch is well deserving of the critical acclaim it has received

The story is based on real interviews with men who fought in the iconic Black Watch regiment during the Iraq War. The plot follows a similar line with fast-paced scenery changes between a pub in Fife, where the interviews take place and the battleground in 2004.

During their time in Iraq, the Black Watch regiment was at the centre of political controversy after being sent to Camp Dogwood in the so-called ‘Triangle of Death’. We join the soldiers as they arrive here and experience the struggles of modern warfare. However, ‘Black Watch’ is not just an ordinary story of men at war, it’s a tale of heritage. For nearly three centuries, father and son have been recruited from the Highlands into the regiment creating a ‘golden thread’ of soldiers.

In my opinion, it is this aspect of the production that makes it unique.  The strong regional accents of the actors, the use of historic Highland songs and dances, the live bagpipes and the traditional costumes are all central to the theme of the piece and are the most memorable aspects. This focus on tradition is due to a proposed amalgamation of the historic regiment into a new brigade during their time in Iraq.

With no interval and a running time of an hour and 50 minutes, you may think the performance would drag. Instead it’s quite the opposite, an interlude would have ruined the atmosphere that was so carefully created. The very strong-language (which is constant throughout) and the humour of the script is sharply contrasted by slow movement pieces and disciplined marches, along with poignant reminders of homesickness. On the whole, the all-male cast was outstanding and their portrayals felt believable and honest. It’s hard to tell you more without ruining the powerful message of this play, so I won’t!

Black Watch is well worth a watch even if you don’t usually go to the theatre

Whether you are an avid theatre goer or not, Black Watch is an exhilarating and thought provoking piece of theatre that was a pleasure to experience. It offers a new approach to the representation of war through performance, expressing both the destructive and futile nature of conflict but also remaining true to reality. In short, despite a shell-shocking ending, the audience don’t leave the performance feeling morbid and depressed. Although you’ve missed the opportunity to see the production in Norwich, ‘Black Watch’ is currently on a World Tour. You can find more information on the National Theatre of Scotland’s website below. http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=s983

If you think ‘Black Watch’ sounds like your cup of tea, don’t fret! The Norfolk and Norwich festival brings exceptional theatre, music, and art to Norwich every May, so there’s no doubt that you’ll be able to find some fantastic shows. I have volunteered for the last two years and couldn’t think of a better way to spend my last month in the city. The Festival runs from 10^th-26^th May and you can browse the brochure or book tickets online at http://nnfestival.org.uk/