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ED2011 2/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews
Pushing Up Poppies (Poppy Productions)
By Dave Fargnoli | Published on Thursday 25 August 2011
It’s almost impossible to convey on stage the terror and tedium that a soldier experiences waiting for battle, but Poppy Productions have attempted it nonetheless. The result is an odd mix of absurdist black comedy and escalating angst in an existentialist sitcom following four young Tommies going stir-crazy in a World War I trench. Delivered in tones of heightened whining or flippancy, the intentionally banal dialogue runs through every cliché, knowingly repeating familiar scenes of the ‘what I miss most’ mould. Though occasionally drifting into some surprising dark humour, the structure is so fractured that it’s hard to feel invested. While this trivial approach avoids trivialising the horrors of history, it doesn’t do them justice, either.
Hill Street Theatre, 5 – 29 Aug, 7.15 pm (8.20 pm), £8.00 – £10.00, fpp290.
tw rating 2/5
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