‘The Observatory’ is a tense play about a soldier who shoots an innocent civilian and about the military’s subsequent response. The first scene is powerful and carries us into a complex plot in which multiple strands are drawn deftly together in order to paint a picture of an organisation in crisis. Although masterfully acted throughout, the play fails to maintain the calibre of its opening. In particular, the comic relief it attempts to offer via the relationship between the two military policemen feels over-done. The conclusion, which degenerates into farce, also disappoints, highlighting the improbability of the conspiracy on which the play is premised. Overall, though, this is a daring production that manages to be atmospheric, sad and thought-provoking.

Underbelly, 4 – 28 Aug, 12.40pm (1.40pm), £7.50 – £10.00, fpp284.
tw rating 3/5
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