| The Kursk |
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/Front Row/Pics/REVIEW - The Kursk.jpg) In 2000, the submarine K-141 Kursk met a dreadful fate. An accident left her lying limp on the seabed, and her 118 crew fared no better. Unsatisfied with the muddle of theories that proliferated on the cause of the accident, playwright Sasha Janowicz travelled to Russia to find out the truth. With The Kursk, he retells his findings as both playwright and actor. Much of the onstage action takes place on land or aboard the cruiser Peter The Great, which is coordinated with the Kursk to carry out three days of military exercises. The first sign of trouble aboard the Kursk came when it failed to make a scheduled communication session with the Peter The Great. What follows is the re-enactment of several failed rescue attempts in the murky depths of the Barents Sea and the fallout as the military struggle to inform the submariners’ loved ones of any progress – because there isn’t any. It takes a while to be immersed in the story of The Kursk, with Janowicz acting also as narrator delivering expository dialogue in order to bring the audience up to speed. Informed with back-story is an easy way into The Kursk, which builds tension with every failed rescue attempt. Switching between characters below and above water, the cast do a superb job of keeping up the pace of the story. As the Admiral commanding both the Kursk and Peter The Great, Eugene Gilfedder is especially skilful at filling out his multiple characters with individual nuances. Guiding the story, Janowicz’s narrator keeps the audience informed, and in doing so, loans the production a military quality in taking such a direct approach. The Kursk is as much the story of loved ones watching and waiting with the rest of the world. Adding to the mounting tension, thanks to brilliant sound and lighting design, there are some truly heart stopping moments. MANDY KOHLER WHERE & WHEN: At Roundhouse Theatre until Saturday Sep 12 |
