Pugilist Specialist at The Alma Tavern Theatre - Bristol Theatre Review
Posted on: 2017-03-07
Our rating:
Presented by Whole Hog Productions, the multi-award winning production Pugilist Specialist is a clever and fast-paced play that wonderfully dissects the American military’s excursions into what they deem to be evil foreign lands.
Originally created by American based outfit The Riot Group, Pugilist Specialist received the Scotsman First of the Firsts Award and the Herald Angel award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2004. Following that success, the show went on to two critically acclaimed runs in London before a belated homecoming with runs in both New York and San Francisco.
The story is based around four U.S. Marines who are assigned a black ops mission to assassinate a high-profile terrorist suspect from the Middle East, code-named ‘The Bearded Lady’. The darkly humorous play is as relevant today as it was when it debuted in Edinburgh fourteen years ago.
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The play explores the military minds of the U.S. Marines and the patriotic right-wing ideologies that have shaped American foreign policy. This is done using an effective minimalist production approach, with a set consisting of just two wooden benches, the four characters, and a microphone that records their conversations as they meet, receive briefings, travel, and finally attempt to carry out a modern political assassination.
The soundscape used throughout the dialogue is digitally manipulated white-noise that represents both the consistent recording of the mission plans, and the technologically advanced nature of modern war. The scenes are interspersed with military cadence, drumming and effective simplistic lighting transitions.
The stripped back style and intimate nature of the set make the intricate interactions between characters come to life. The quick-witted one-upmanship through assertive and aggressive language is a key theme throughout.
The play revolves around the betrayal of the thick-skinned, self-proclaimed feminist Lieutenant Emma Stein, by her Commander Colonel Johns in the midst of the mission to assassinate ‘The bearded Lady’. Lieutenant Stoddard is a bureaucratic communications specialist who aids the Colonel in his deceptive plan. While Lieutenant Travis Freud is the trigger-happy sniper who represents the brain dead hyper-masculinity of the US military.
On the whole, a brilliantly executed production of Adriano Shaplin's most revered and talked about work. The play leaves you with a disturbing insight into the systems and beliefs at the heart of America's obsession with anti-terrorism, and the confusing and contradictory opinions behind the reasons for going to war in the first place.
4/5
Running until 11th March at the Alma Tavern and Theatre in Clifton. Showtime - 7.30pm. Adults £10.00 Concessions: £8.00. Click here for tickets and more info.
Article by:
Originally from the Hampshire town of Winchester, Tom has lived in Bristol for four years. He decided it was a city worth staying in after graduating in Cyber Security at UWE last year. Tom has a passion for technology as well as keen interests in film, food, music, sports and photography. He spends a lot of his time engaging in the abundant offerings of a vibrant city at the forefront of British culture.
