ED2014 Theatre ED2014 Three To See ED2014 Week0 Edition

Three To See 2014: War-themed theatre picks

By | Published on Thursday 31 July 2014

The Flood

The centenary of the beginning of World War One is marked by a number of shows in the wider Edinburgh Festival this year, and here ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses picks two of them, with another war-themed bit of theatre too.

The Flood
I was immediately attracted to this show because it’s by Badac Theatre, an excellent producing company who specialise in pieces exploring themes of human rights, violence and conflict. ‘The Flood’ is set against the backdrop of the bloody first world war and explores the slaughter of millions of soldiers, while a passionate parallel love story examines the psychological effects WW1 had on the women left at home. This sounds like it will be intense, emotional and draining, and definitely worth the effort.
Summerhall, from 1 Aug until 24 Aug. Tickets here.

Forever Young
This is another piece exploring the horror of the first world war, this time through personal testimonies, letters and diary extracts and popular songs from the period, in a show that brings to life the words of the likes of Wilfrid Owen and Rupert Brooke to life, accompanied by music and movement. “‘Forever Young’ is a celebration, a protest and a tribute to those who lived, loved, died and wrote through 1914-1918”, says the programme blurb. “Only a dyed-in-the-wool cynic would not be moved”, said The Stage. I can believe it.
theSpace at Symposium Hall, from 11 Aug until 23 Aug. Tickets here.

The Collector
Moving on to a different type of war now, for this one is set during the US occupation of Iraq, played out on the site of Saddam Hussein’s most brutal prison camp. It’s a “darkly humorous ghost story” from the rather brilliant mind of that there Henry Naylor, one half of well known double act Parsons and Naylor, and former lead writer for ‘Spitting Image’. Naylor’s previous Fringe plays have garnered much critical acclaim, and I feel very confident that this one will too.
Gilded Balloon, from 30 Jul until 25 Aug. Tickets here.



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