Ridge

Postcard Review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – Ridge

Playwright – Written by Brendan McLeod with adapted and original lyrics of soldiers from WWII and one original song by McLeod.

Production Company/Theatre space – (Professional) Lunchbox Theatre, Studio Theatre, Vertigo Theatre.

Length – 1 Act (1 hour 10 minutes, no intermission.)

Genre/s – Billed as “storytelling” it’s more of a Ted Talk with folk music.

Premise – A man, whose favourite book is about Vimy Ridge, travels to see France’s monuments to fallen Canadian soldiers and finds conflicting facts about the generally accepted mythology of how this battle won the war and how the government honoured its soldiers.

Why this play? Why now? – Lunchbox is the only local theatre that consistently programs and produces shows on this theme around Remembrance Day.

Curiosities – I wondered why a show about ground troops (not fighter pilots) had paper airplanes as it’s only set dec. Are the band Equity members?

Notable Moment – The opening notes of The Last Post are always going to be powerful.

Notable writing – The premise of the talk is that the general public doesn’t know the truth. We propagate national identity at the expense of the truth behind the horrific deaths and lives of teenagers and adult soldiers. The writer tries to put himself into the boots of the soldiers and is unsuccessful. While most of us have a superficial idea about WWI, like the speaker, we cannot fathom the reality. But this is where theatre can at least attempt to show rather than tell.  We are told, after the war that the Canadian government mistreated soldiers for four months in the UK, stranding them in freezing and starving conditions. This is interesting and dramatic.  Had this been a real play about this conflict it could have been brilliant; fresh information and high stakes. The tragedy comes when this music is used to illustrate the horror of war. Musical theatre has more power, opera, even punk, and heavy metal might have been more appropriate than the sweet, safe folksy numbers on violin, banjo, and acoustic guitar.  These interspersed songs are pretty, poignant, and palatable -- ironically like the Remembrance Day services the writer rails against. This is not a Peter Jackson equivalency.

Notable performances – The Fugitives are a band comprised of talented musicians and singers who do their best with dramatic readings.

Notable design/Production – A set designer is listed in the program but there was no evidence of a set design.

Notable direction – There was no notable direction only performers switching mic positions.

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One reason to see this show – Can’t get to a service? Substitute this as an act of remembrance.