Voice of War **

14^th April 2019
Drayton Arms Theatre
Rating: 2 and a Half Stars 

On the eve of the greatest premier the world has seen in the past twenty years, one thought goes through my head…….

This show better be worth it!

To its credit ‘Voices of War’ has moments of pure brilliance, and anyway I was recording the first episode of ‘Game of Thrones’.

Some could argue that over the past five years the viewing public has been drowning in war dramatizations. With the one-hundred-year anniversary of the First World War still fresh in people’s minds you couldn’t turn on the TV or walk into a theatre without witnessing some kind of war story. Therefore, it would be easy to dismiss ‘Voices’ as yet another cliched compilation of ‘forgotten’ war stories, if it weren’t for Ian Burrs careful selection of tales. Burr writes with the tastes of a true history connoisseur, selecting stories which even a hardened war expert would be hard pressed to recognise.

‘Voices’ takes us on a journey from the trenches of the western front to the gruelling conflict of the Falkland’s, dealing with everything from desertion, shell shock and PTSD, to the effects on the innocent and the capacity of human evil. Just writing that statement gives an indication of how tall an order Burr places on his production. Nevertheless its an order that ‘Voices’ largely succeeds in meeting.

The hour and ten minute production is split into two thirty five minute acts, with four stories spread between them. Scenery and props are kept to a minimal; a table and a couple of chairs. Set to a sound track of classical music and songs from the World War two period, the four actors certainly have their work cut out for them, as they plough their way through Burrs verbatim script.

Burrs writing is quiet simply an actors dream, taking the stories of real people in extraordinary situations and unashamedly revealing the raw emotions of each character. The three female cast members are at the centre of bringing these stories to life. Each actress has a heavy weight on their shoulders, and each more than succeed in carrying it.

Starting in reverse, actress Eleanor Neylon has one of the hardest jobs an actor can hope to tackle; playing a young, single mother, soldier suffering from PTSD. In her portrayal of Joanne Tyler, Neylon masterfully steers clear of the dangerous world of overplaying and melodrama. Instead of forcing tears or screaming her head off, Neylon presents a coldly calm warrior whose façade is only cracked by the occasional rise in volume. Even in her characters final decision to end her life, the warrior composure is maintained. As Neylon exits the stage to her fate, she leaves the audience with a unshattered sense of truth at plays closure.

This sense of truth is carried throughout most of ‘Voices’, in both its light and shade. While the climax of the play ends on one of the darkest possible shadows of war, the opening act allows moments of levity. We are introduced to violet and Joan, two young fire officers on the lookout for bombs during the blitz. Their easy manner, charming smiles and precise language bring to mind young school teachers, an image which is only added to by the inclusion of pictures and maps from the era. Their stories of togetherness in even the darkest times give a glimmer of hope in the bleakness that war plays can often bring. This makes the blunt revelation of their deaths all the more tragic. As the audience file out for their interval drinks they are accompanied by a song that the endlessly watchable Bethany Monk-Lane and Kate Sketchley had previously danced to, heralding that war is indiscriminate in who it touches. However this is just a taste of what is to come.

For despite Sketchley and Neylon’s brilliance and obvious skill, Monk-Lane is the clear star of the show. When starting this blog I promised that I wouldn’t give out five star reviews unless really warranted, and although I don’t think that ‘Voices’ is a five star show, Monk- Lanes portrayal of Lee Miller is.  A young photographer based on the front lines of the Second World War, Millers story starts with her ‘about to take a bath in Hitlers bath tub’. The comedy of this statement is expertly brought out by Monk-Lanes easy portrayal. Like with Neylon, no part of Monk-Lanes performance is pushed or forced. We are taken on a journey of pure emotion; from laughing with her at the ridiculous idea of staying in the führers private apartments to feeling the unrestrained sadness and rage at the blind cruelty of the concentration camps. As Miller says, she ‘was there for everything’, and through Monk-Lanes masterclass of a performance, so are we. We are given the privilege of seeing Millers story unfold as clearly as if we were looking at one of her photographs. Miss Monk-Lane is a shining example of the simplicity of good acting. There is no need for effects or gimmicks, Monk-Lane simply sits and tell us an extraordinary story with all the truth and passion as if it was her own. The scene could easily be a play in itself. Truly amazing.

Unfortunately, this high standard is not maintained throughout the entirety of ‘Voices’. The show certainly has the makings of greatness, but as a whole it is still slightly underdeveloped. The play is made up of a story from the First World War, two from the Second World War and one from the Fulklands, and despite the quality of these tales Burr still falls into the trap of over simplifying the last 70 years of wars and conflict. It is true that the final story of PTSD can be linked to any conflict, but there are still avenues that ‘Voices’ doesn’t even venture down. For instance the story of a POW, a Chaplin, an conscientious objector or a family escaping a bitter conflict are just a few of the areas ‘Voices’ could have gone into. With a running time of roughly only an hour and ten minutes, I was more than happy to see more. No, I was hungry to see more! Therefore you can imagine my disappointment when I heard that there are currently no planned future performances.

Another sticking point for me was the presentation of the opening story.  The first character we are introduced to is George Hunter, a Yorkshire private, executed for cowardice during the first world war. His story is one of shell shock mixed with an appreciation of nature’s beauty even in the darkest times, all presented in the style of a final letter to a loved one. Once again this is a tall order for any performer, and its one that Rus Kallan struggles to achieve. Despite his best efforts, the pressure of maintaining a northern accent seems to hamper Kallans performance. The opening of the monologue is delivered flat and on one level, like a under functioning boat motor. Sadly this also creeps in to his posture, giving Kallans Private Hunter an almost robotic feel. The result is a lacklustre opening , which even the beautifully horrid description of conflict cant repair. This is not to say that Kallan is a bad performer, far from it. His second appearance as Joanne Tylers Doctor is pitched far better. Kallan also begins to relax into the role of Private Hunter, as the opening story continues. As an audience member it is possible to see the very moment he stops worrying about his characters accent. With a description of a birds nest on the barbed wire, mixing beauty with horror, Kallan comes alive. We see what he sees and are finally drawn into his storytelling. We start to see the truth of his character, and manage to care about him during his tragic demise.

All in all ‘Voice of War’ is a good piece of theatre, with some outstanding moments. Yes it has its flaws, but show me a perfect performance and I’ll show you a unicorn (I call him Steve). Besides Burrs medley of tales was better than staring at Kit Haringtons brooding eyebrows for an hour!

Alexander Wright