Our Boys
Sun, 5 May 2002, 01:58 pmmichael3 posts in thread
Our Boys
Sun, 5 May 2002, 01:58 pmReview of : Our Boys
Location: Marloo Theatre
Company: Darlington
When: Saturday May 4th
All I knew was the title and that it was directed by Joe Isaia. Somebody did advise that there was a lot of strong language. Other than that I knew nothing about it until I read the program.
It is 1984 and 5 young wounded soldiers, among them veterans of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing, find themselves sharing a ward with a young female officer candidate.
Now, before I begin, for those of you who have never been in the services, and that would probably be quite a large proportion of the members of this site, there exists a very special bond between serving members that can only really be understood by those who have been there.
I'm not sure that I can explain it clearly but when you live, eat, breath, work and play within a group that has a single focus of working to protect 'queen and country', even if you are not actually in a hostile situation, you beome a single living being. Each party knows the others ups and down, in and outs, good times and bad. Everyone smiles pretty much all the time, because when the times are good you are all in the sun together, when they are bad, you are all in the @!#$ together so keep smiling. It is an environment which is real 'all for one and one for all' situation nothing fictional about this and male or female, you are 'one of the boys'.
In times of hostility, this closeness or brotherly love can take on new dimensions.
A service mess room or dormitory can become like a well oiled comic act -a Morecambe and Wise at their best, only in this case everyone is a participant with perfect timing. Humour can turn to sly and then blatant insult and return to good humour again in the twinkling of an eye. Anger can rise and abate as quickly.
When you're that close to people it does not pay to hold grudges against each other. So you tend to hold them against those above you and in the case of the army, these are the 'Ruperts', junior officers who apparently know nothing but are your immediate commanders (rather than 'the brass' who command them from afar and who are generally respected).
In the army of that day there was a significant 'them and us' between soldier and officer, rather more so than found within the ranks of the Royal Air Force or Royal Navy.
Bring together a group of these soldiers into a hospital ward suffering from various psychological and physical problems, some resulting from the hostilities of Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing ( who will forget the plight and bravery of those horses) and you get a set of ingredients that cover the whole range of emotions from funny to the point of being a howling good belly laugh through black humour to warmth and tenderness.
Given that such an environment would be quite unknown to most, Joe, Cary, Ben, Daniel, Scott and Gemma have done an amazing job in bringing much of what I have described to life in this production.
Scott (Fusilier David Parry) from his wheelchair started the drive of the one-liners from the word go and I was in stitches. Keep up the energy Scott.
Cary (trooper Joe Morgan), as the long term inmate, with the drier more wicked humour and more reasons than most to have this 'chip' on his shoulder was a great balance [although I think Joe, that the last scene needs to be more emotional and protracted as this man unloads his problems by reliving the Hyde Park bombing].
Ben's (Rifleman Ian Gribbins) portrayal of a man going from KO to OK (coma to discharge) is great. The script does seem to have this happening very quickly which is quite possible.
Joe (Ranger Keith Malone), as the Irish 'is this man a shirker or is he really ill' Ranger was well done in that it kept you guessing which he was right till then end.
Daniel (Gunner Michael Speedy) was the 'less mentally acrobatic' of the soldiers and often the butt of everyones else's jokes and he played this very well.
For the soldiers, Gemma (Potential Office Menzies) was the real fly in the ointment in their ward, being both an officer (well potential) AND a female. Gemma trying to become 'one of the boys' was one of the funniest moments. The role is actually a bit of a conundrum and Gemma played it well.
Overall I think, Joe, that you would have been better focussing on the Direction and looked for someone else (if possible) to be Keith. There are so many variables in the driving forces of each scene through the progress of the play and some are not developed to their full potential.
Some of the energy and timing falls off as the play progresses and some of the highs and lows are lost. (Perhaps I am seeing potential where others would not and so am appearing a little harsh)
The set is superb and props second to none. I've been in that ward I'm sure!
For anyone who has been in the services or knows anyone that has, take them to see this play. It'll bring back some happy memories.
For everyone else, just go and see it for yourself.
Oh and by the way the language is the language of the servicemen so it's not even a contextual thing. Without it, the play would have been silent and said nothing to me.
Michael
Location: Marloo Theatre
Company: Darlington
When: Saturday May 4th
All I knew was the title and that it was directed by Joe Isaia. Somebody did advise that there was a lot of strong language. Other than that I knew nothing about it until I read the program.
It is 1984 and 5 young wounded soldiers, among them veterans of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing, find themselves sharing a ward with a young female officer candidate.
Now, before I begin, for those of you who have never been in the services, and that would probably be quite a large proportion of the members of this site, there exists a very special bond between serving members that can only really be understood by those who have been there.
I'm not sure that I can explain it clearly but when you live, eat, breath, work and play within a group that has a single focus of working to protect 'queen and country', even if you are not actually in a hostile situation, you beome a single living being. Each party knows the others ups and down, in and outs, good times and bad. Everyone smiles pretty much all the time, because when the times are good you are all in the sun together, when they are bad, you are all in the @!#$ together so keep smiling. It is an environment which is real 'all for one and one for all' situation nothing fictional about this and male or female, you are 'one of the boys'.
In times of hostility, this closeness or brotherly love can take on new dimensions.
A service mess room or dormitory can become like a well oiled comic act -a Morecambe and Wise at their best, only in this case everyone is a participant with perfect timing. Humour can turn to sly and then blatant insult and return to good humour again in the twinkling of an eye. Anger can rise and abate as quickly.
When you're that close to people it does not pay to hold grudges against each other. So you tend to hold them against those above you and in the case of the army, these are the 'Ruperts', junior officers who apparently know nothing but are your immediate commanders (rather than 'the brass' who command them from afar and who are generally respected).
In the army of that day there was a significant 'them and us' between soldier and officer, rather more so than found within the ranks of the Royal Air Force or Royal Navy.
Bring together a group of these soldiers into a hospital ward suffering from various psychological and physical problems, some resulting from the hostilities of Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing ( who will forget the plight and bravery of those horses) and you get a set of ingredients that cover the whole range of emotions from funny to the point of being a howling good belly laugh through black humour to warmth and tenderness.
Given that such an environment would be quite unknown to most, Joe, Cary, Ben, Daniel, Scott and Gemma have done an amazing job in bringing much of what I have described to life in this production.
Scott (Fusilier David Parry) from his wheelchair started the drive of the one-liners from the word go and I was in stitches. Keep up the energy Scott.
Cary (trooper Joe Morgan), as the long term inmate, with the drier more wicked humour and more reasons than most to have this 'chip' on his shoulder was a great balance [although I think Joe, that the last scene needs to be more emotional and protracted as this man unloads his problems by reliving the Hyde Park bombing].
Ben's (Rifleman Ian Gribbins) portrayal of a man going from KO to OK (coma to discharge) is great. The script does seem to have this happening very quickly which is quite possible.
Joe (Ranger Keith Malone), as the Irish 'is this man a shirker or is he really ill' Ranger was well done in that it kept you guessing which he was right till then end.
Daniel (Gunner Michael Speedy) was the 'less mentally acrobatic' of the soldiers and often the butt of everyones else's jokes and he played this very well.
For the soldiers, Gemma (Potential Office Menzies) was the real fly in the ointment in their ward, being both an officer (well potential) AND a female. Gemma trying to become 'one of the boys' was one of the funniest moments. The role is actually a bit of a conundrum and Gemma played it well.
Overall I think, Joe, that you would have been better focussing on the Direction and looked for someone else (if possible) to be Keith. There are so many variables in the driving forces of each scene through the progress of the play and some are not developed to their full potential.
Some of the energy and timing falls off as the play progresses and some of the highs and lows are lost. (Perhaps I am seeing potential where others would not and so am appearing a little harsh)
The set is superb and props second to none. I've been in that ward I'm sure!
For anyone who has been in the services or knows anyone that has, take them to see this play. It'll bring back some happy memories.
For everyone else, just go and see it for yourself.
Oh and by the way the language is the language of the servicemen so it's not even a contextual thing. Without it, the play would have been silent and said nothing to me.
Michael
michaelSun, 5 May 2002, 01:58 pm
Review of : Our Boys
Location: Marloo Theatre
Company: Darlington
When: Saturday May 4th
All I knew was the title and that it was directed by Joe Isaia. Somebody did advise that there was a lot of strong language. Other than that I knew nothing about it until I read the program.
It is 1984 and 5 young wounded soldiers, among them veterans of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing, find themselves sharing a ward with a young female officer candidate.
Now, before I begin, for those of you who have never been in the services, and that would probably be quite a large proportion of the members of this site, there exists a very special bond between serving members that can only really be understood by those who have been there.
I'm not sure that I can explain it clearly but when you live, eat, breath, work and play within a group that has a single focus of working to protect 'queen and country', even if you are not actually in a hostile situation, you beome a single living being. Each party knows the others ups and down, in and outs, good times and bad. Everyone smiles pretty much all the time, because when the times are good you are all in the sun together, when they are bad, you are all in the @!#$ together so keep smiling. It is an environment which is real 'all for one and one for all' situation nothing fictional about this and male or female, you are 'one of the boys'.
In times of hostility, this closeness or brotherly love can take on new dimensions.
A service mess room or dormitory can become like a well oiled comic act -a Morecambe and Wise at their best, only in this case everyone is a participant with perfect timing. Humour can turn to sly and then blatant insult and return to good humour again in the twinkling of an eye. Anger can rise and abate as quickly.
When you're that close to people it does not pay to hold grudges against each other. So you tend to hold them against those above you and in the case of the army, these are the 'Ruperts', junior officers who apparently know nothing but are your immediate commanders (rather than 'the brass' who command them from afar and who are generally respected).
In the army of that day there was a significant 'them and us' between soldier and officer, rather more so than found within the ranks of the Royal Air Force or Royal Navy.
Bring together a group of these soldiers into a hospital ward suffering from various psychological and physical problems, some resulting from the hostilities of Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing ( who will forget the plight and bravery of those horses) and you get a set of ingredients that cover the whole range of emotions from funny to the point of being a howling good belly laugh through black humour to warmth and tenderness.
Given that such an environment would be quite unknown to most, Joe, Cary, Ben, Daniel, Scott and Gemma have done an amazing job in bringing much of what I have described to life in this production.
Scott (Fusilier David Parry) from his wheelchair started the drive of the one-liners from the word go and I was in stitches. Keep up the energy Scott.
Cary (trooper Joe Morgan), as the long term inmate, with the drier more wicked humour and more reasons than most to have this 'chip' on his shoulder was a great balance [although I think Joe, that the last scene needs to be more emotional and protracted as this man unloads his problems by reliving the Hyde Park bombing].
Ben's (Rifleman Ian Gribbins) portrayal of a man going from KO to OK (coma to discharge) is great. The script does seem to have this happening very quickly which is quite possible.
Joe (Ranger Keith Malone), as the Irish 'is this man a shirker or is he really ill' Ranger was well done in that it kept you guessing which he was right till then end.
Daniel (Gunner Michael Speedy) was the 'less mentally acrobatic' of the soldiers and often the butt of everyones else's jokes and he played this very well.
For the soldiers, Gemma (Potential Office Menzies) was the real fly in the ointment in their ward, being both an officer (well potential) AND a female. Gemma trying to become 'one of the boys' was one of the funniest moments. The role is actually a bit of a conundrum and Gemma played it well.
Overall I think, Joe, that you would have been better focussing on the Direction and looked for someone else (if possible) to be Keith. There are so many variables in the driving forces of each scene through the progress of the play and some are not developed to their full potential.
Some of the energy and timing falls off as the play progresses and some of the highs and lows are lost. (Perhaps I am seeing potential where others would not and so am appearing a little harsh)
The set is superb and props second to none. I've been in that ward I'm sure!
For anyone who has been in the services or knows anyone that has, take them to see this play. It'll bring back some happy memories.
For everyone else, just go and see it for yourself.
Oh and by the way the language is the language of the servicemen so it's not even a contextual thing. Without it, the play would have been silent and said nothing to me.
Michael
Location: Marloo Theatre
Company: Darlington
When: Saturday May 4th
All I knew was the title and that it was directed by Joe Isaia. Somebody did advise that there was a lot of strong language. Other than that I knew nothing about it until I read the program.
It is 1984 and 5 young wounded soldiers, among them veterans of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing, find themselves sharing a ward with a young female officer candidate.
Now, before I begin, for those of you who have never been in the services, and that would probably be quite a large proportion of the members of this site, there exists a very special bond between serving members that can only really be understood by those who have been there.
I'm not sure that I can explain it clearly but when you live, eat, breath, work and play within a group that has a single focus of working to protect 'queen and country', even if you are not actually in a hostile situation, you beome a single living being. Each party knows the others ups and down, in and outs, good times and bad. Everyone smiles pretty much all the time, because when the times are good you are all in the sun together, when they are bad, you are all in the @!#$ together so keep smiling. It is an environment which is real 'all for one and one for all' situation nothing fictional about this and male or female, you are 'one of the boys'.
In times of hostility, this closeness or brotherly love can take on new dimensions.
A service mess room or dormitory can become like a well oiled comic act -a Morecambe and Wise at their best, only in this case everyone is a participant with perfect timing. Humour can turn to sly and then blatant insult and return to good humour again in the twinkling of an eye. Anger can rise and abate as quickly.
When you're that close to people it does not pay to hold grudges against each other. So you tend to hold them against those above you and in the case of the army, these are the 'Ruperts', junior officers who apparently know nothing but are your immediate commanders (rather than 'the brass' who command them from afar and who are generally respected).
In the army of that day there was a significant 'them and us' between soldier and officer, rather more so than found within the ranks of the Royal Air Force or Royal Navy.
Bring together a group of these soldiers into a hospital ward suffering from various psychological and physical problems, some resulting from the hostilities of Northern Ireland and the Hyde Park bombing ( who will forget the plight and bravery of those horses) and you get a set of ingredients that cover the whole range of emotions from funny to the point of being a howling good belly laugh through black humour to warmth and tenderness.
Given that such an environment would be quite unknown to most, Joe, Cary, Ben, Daniel, Scott and Gemma have done an amazing job in bringing much of what I have described to life in this production.
Scott (Fusilier David Parry) from his wheelchair started the drive of the one-liners from the word go and I was in stitches. Keep up the energy Scott.
Cary (trooper Joe Morgan), as the long term inmate, with the drier more wicked humour and more reasons than most to have this 'chip' on his shoulder was a great balance [although I think Joe, that the last scene needs to be more emotional and protracted as this man unloads his problems by reliving the Hyde Park bombing].
Ben's (Rifleman Ian Gribbins) portrayal of a man going from KO to OK (coma to discharge) is great. The script does seem to have this happening very quickly which is quite possible.
Joe (Ranger Keith Malone), as the Irish 'is this man a shirker or is he really ill' Ranger was well done in that it kept you guessing which he was right till then end.
Daniel (Gunner Michael Speedy) was the 'less mentally acrobatic' of the soldiers and often the butt of everyones else's jokes and he played this very well.
For the soldiers, Gemma (Potential Office Menzies) was the real fly in the ointment in their ward, being both an officer (well potential) AND a female. Gemma trying to become 'one of the boys' was one of the funniest moments. The role is actually a bit of a conundrum and Gemma played it well.
Overall I think, Joe, that you would have been better focussing on the Direction and looked for someone else (if possible) to be Keith. There are so many variables in the driving forces of each scene through the progress of the play and some are not developed to their full potential.
Some of the energy and timing falls off as the play progresses and some of the highs and lows are lost. (Perhaps I am seeing potential where others would not and so am appearing a little harsh)
The set is superb and props second to none. I've been in that ward I'm sure!
For anyone who has been in the services or knows anyone that has, take them to see this play. It'll bring back some happy memories.
For everyone else, just go and see it for yourself.
Oh and by the way the language is the language of the servicemen so it's not even a contextual thing. Without it, the play would have been silent and said nothing to me.
Michael
crgwllmsMon, 6 May 2002, 12:15 am
Troops and Troupes
Michael wrote:
>
> ...there exists a very special bond between serving members that can only really be understood by those who have been there....when you live, eat, breath, work and play within a group that has a single focus...you become a single living being...
Sometimes I think actors might be one of the few groups who DO understand, or at least come the closest...Obviously not in the critical life-or-death sense; the horrors of war can never be approximated.
But an ensemble of players also creates a very special bond that is difficult to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.
Sure, the critics aren't armed with grenades; and unlike those who fought for their lives and country, actors have no impending reason to put themselves in the thick of it. But then the fact that - in the absence of world-shattering causes - they voluntarily put themselves through physical and mental anguish shows another side of human nature that I think borders on heroics.
Michael's description of the tight group dynamics, importance of morale, and feeling of total unity struck a chord of recognition, as I tour around the country with a group of strangers who are now my closest friends. We live, eat, breathe, work, and play together, each depending on the rest of the group, each with a specific role to play that must be repeatedly carried out with precision and enthusiasm for the project to succeed. I've felt this before in a tight-knit theatre production, but never more so than when I'm on tour, when we share the same vehicle home to the same motel, eating together at the same restaurant after the show, spending more time with this group at work and at rest than I would with my family at home, for months on end. Problems that perhaps wouldn't normally come to light are impossible to conceal, and it's then that you rely heavily on the group's sympathy, support, and unique bond.
It sounds like Michael has first hand experience of what we've come to recognise as the "Anzac spirit"; and by his praise of Our Boys he must have seen some part of it portrayed by the cast. I imagine the cast are experiencing some part of this other bond, this "Acting spirit" that ties many of us here together, which can only be described, by those in the frontline, as very special indeed.
Cheers,
Craig
>
> ...there exists a very special bond between serving members that can only really be understood by those who have been there....when you live, eat, breath, work and play within a group that has a single focus...you become a single living being...
Sometimes I think actors might be one of the few groups who DO understand, or at least come the closest...Obviously not in the critical life-or-death sense; the horrors of war can never be approximated.
But an ensemble of players also creates a very special bond that is difficult to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.
Sure, the critics aren't armed with grenades; and unlike those who fought for their lives and country, actors have no impending reason to put themselves in the thick of it. But then the fact that - in the absence of world-shattering causes - they voluntarily put themselves through physical and mental anguish shows another side of human nature that I think borders on heroics.
Michael's description of the tight group dynamics, importance of morale, and feeling of total unity struck a chord of recognition, as I tour around the country with a group of strangers who are now my closest friends. We live, eat, breathe, work, and play together, each depending on the rest of the group, each with a specific role to play that must be repeatedly carried out with precision and enthusiasm for the project to succeed. I've felt this before in a tight-knit theatre production, but never more so than when I'm on tour, when we share the same vehicle home to the same motel, eating together at the same restaurant after the show, spending more time with this group at work and at rest than I would with my family at home, for months on end. Problems that perhaps wouldn't normally come to light are impossible to conceal, and it's then that you rely heavily on the group's sympathy, support, and unique bond.
It sounds like Michael has first hand experience of what we've come to recognise as the "Anzac spirit"; and by his praise of Our Boys he must have seen some part of it portrayed by the cast. I imagine the cast are experiencing some part of this other bond, this "Acting spirit" that ties many of us here together, which can only be described, by those in the frontline, as very special indeed.
Cheers,
Craig
Walter PlingeTue, 14 May 2002, 11:51 am
Re: Our Boys
Our Boys is a sensitive, funny play which addresses emotional issues and situations in this specific environment of the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital. Set in the early 80's it grabs you into each scene and you find yourself engrossed, then eventually brought back to the big picture about this group of service men and women.
I was concerned when I sat down as to how much the language was going to be a problem for me. However I was soon looking past it hardly noticing it as straight away was laughing with the cast and audience. It was unexpectantly funny as a group of guys/girl played off each other setting mates up for a laugh. But as the crunches came they banded together in suport in some sad and pertinant moments. As mentioned it is a good light on how service men and women are able to do this in the face of adversity.
Certain emotional scenes need more depth which may have been hard for director Joe Isaia to see from the inside view point (he is acting in the play, most likley due to the shortage of male actors in community theatre) but overall it is well worth a look if you can catch it this week.
The set is excellent a very realostic ward, the scene changes well done with out a curtain, in a twighlight shadow a nurse and doctors come in to set up, and quick to! The actors six in all blended well together on the night I was there with good performances from them all. Special mention to Joe himself who plays a typical no mess around soldier with a great Irish accent. Plus Ben Sorgivanni who potrayed an excellent head injury victim on the road to recovery I feel some research went into that one.