In the bedroom, Gary fires blanks. In the troubled wastelands of Helmand Province, he puts himself on the line time and again to defuse bombs and save communities and comrades. From zero to hero: he can't wait to leave his bank worker wife, Emma, and the failure that is childlessness, and return to the theatre of war. When his oppo, Mike, is destabilised by the loss of a close colleague in a bomb attack, and the loss of his wife to another man, Gary's spare room is his for the taking. Is Emma for the taking too?
Casualties is an interesting if wordy piece by promising new playwright, Ross Ericson. A lot is demanded of the actors, the dialogue isn't always as sharp as it could be, and more questions are raised than are answered. As the two men return to Aghan (sic), Emma announces her pregnancy. Does the lovely Gary have an inkling that Mike may have betrayed him; and even if he has, must it mean the baby can't be Gary's?
Defusing bombs on the front line, the men are interdependent. Gary - played wonderfully and with great subtlety by Alex Ferns - parks his personal preoccupations to get on with the job in hand. The same isn't true of Mike. For him, events at home are overwhelming. When a second colleague, Tweedy, is literally blown up in Mike's face, his mind is in freefall and he loses his nerve. As Gary attempts to shake him into action, we can't help wondering if it is a good idea to even try.
In conclusion: In his keenness to demonstrate authenticity, Ericson provides extensive detail about the psychology and sociology of warfare, and that gets in the way. The end of the 90 minute play is all over the place. This doesn't stop Casualties from being an intelligent, thought provoking watch in a lovely new theatre in Finsbury Park.
References
Park Theatre, Tickets
Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, London N4 3JP Run ends 14 July
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