A familiar tale brought up to date by Iraq war

SOLDIER’S TALE
Old Vic by ILLTYD HARRINGTON

STRAVINSKY is well-served in this retelling of his “opera.” Post-1918, a soldier returning from war is confronted by a devil. At his most persuasive the devil offers the war-weary man a book which contains the secrets of limitless wealth in exchange for his violin – his soul.
He resists, returning to his native land where he experiences rejection. Satanic seduction finally wins and the soldier succumbs to the books of life and the road to insatiable greed. That’s the bare bones of the tale, but here it is brilliantly conveyed as a parable for the Iraq war.
We see a band of musicians dressed in First World War uniforms while narrator Julian Glover-Fitz is stage left. On the right are a group of Arab musicians and an Arabic narrator Fallah Al Flayeh. Enter a British and Iraqi soldier, Ciaram McMenanim and Alla a Rasheed.
The blending of the stories is seamless. As the violin symbolised European soul it is the oud – the Middle Eastern lute – that represents the Arab.
Words and music complement each other perfectly and the oud’s melancholy tone was haunting. The moral of course is still relevant. Challenging the baser values of our society which constantly push us away from hard-won truths and our common humanity. Andrew Steggal directs a cast whose mirror images are not impeded by different languages. Jan Bausor’s set could be any wrecked Iraqi town.
In reality, the causes of war as well as the consequences are carefully hidden or dressed up for us. And that’s what made the events at the Old Vic so significant. Who are the victors and who are the vanquished? A challenging but stimulating 90 minutes in the theatre. Well done the Old Vic.
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