Toy Soldier

There is a potentially powerful play buried somewhere inside Toy Soldier. Set against the backdrop of the Falklands war, it explores the way war, patriotism and fear can affect the ordinary residents caught up in the conflict, Unfortunately, this production directed by it’s writers Helen Goodman and Joseph Dewey, fails to reach the level it could have.

The central story has genuine dramatic potential. With Billy (Mathew Edgar) a young man living on a farm with his mother and sister Jane (Faye Bennett), he becomes increasingly caught up in the excitement and rhetoric surrounding the ever-present conflict. Egged on by his extremist friend Mark (Paul Gorman) he becomes fixated on the ‘enemy’. So, when Jane discovers a wounded Argentine soldier (Nico Conde) the play should have opportunity to explore the difference between the enemy we are told to fear and the reality of a human life at stake.

The performances have moments of real promise, particularly when the actors are allowed to simply inhabit their characters. Then there is a sense of vulnerability beneath bravado, allowing some of the relationships to develop and build real tension. But just as the tension is building, the production repeatedly pulls the audience away from the drama.

Its use of media and archive material is undoubtedly informative and provides useful historical context. Reminding us of what is fuelling the onstage drama. However, its frequent insertion severely disrupts any dramatic momentum. Scenes begin to develop tension, only for that atmosphere to be broken by projected material.

The result is frustrating. A scene that might have taken the audience into the characters’ lives, is stopped almost mid-stream. Theatre is at its most powerful when it makes up feel something rather than supplying facts, and here the balance is often wrong.

There are also significant problems with audibility. In the more intimate scenes, some of the actors voices are barely audible from the auditorium. This is particularly damaging because these quieter moments are among the production’s most emotionally revealing. When an audience is forced to strain to hear what is being said, concentration is inevitably broken and the emotional connection disappears.

Toy Soldier Has an important message to tell and some strong ideas at its heart. Sadly the production’s reliance on its media, disrupted pacing and inconsistent vocal projection mean it is never allowed to reach its potential.