Dev's Army review, Etcetera

Dev's Army is a cross between Dad's Army and Father Ted. It is 1940. On the Irish coast three soldiers are running an outpost that is a cross between homeland security, Baywatch and a hopeful honey-trap for any Mata Hari willing to squelch her way across the bogs. Ireland has been a republic nearly 20 years and her soldiers are ostensibly supporting the English through the 'emergency' that is the Second World War. In reality, loyalties on the ground are being sorely tested.

Emerald guile

Writer Stuart D Lee's characters are reliably familiar. We have the old man steeped in colonial mistrust, the younger pragmatist looking ahead, and the youthful thicko whose every utterance is a throwback to the outlawed stereotype of the Celtic imbecile. As they entertain themselves with spooky stories of the unbaptised dead, a stranger in a suit washes up unconscious on the beach. Suddenly, the mood changes...

What Dev's Army explores (Dev was the short form for Eamon De Valera, who led the fight for independence and was then Prime Minister) is the lack of trust amongst people who have lived through major political change. Common decency tells them to support the English. Anger makes them sympathetic to Hitler. The stranger's presence, far from turning the men against him, turns them against each other. It is a compelling tale and it's a shame that more time could not be given to developing the characters and letting the production breathe more.

In conclusion: James Foster directs his cast to make the most of a tiny space. Daniel McClelland is sweet and funny as the youngster, Michael, and Matt Lanigan and Richard Sails are able foils. Running time, one hour.

References
Etcetera Theatre, tickets