Red State

A rough and ready noir-inspired thriller about Iraq

Review by Joe Vester | 08 Aug 2007

Seeing the main character being throttled as the lights come up on a performace certainly gets things started. Despite being set in a single room with one couch, an astonishing amount happens in Red State in terms of violence, delusional theories, twists and turns.

Essentially the play has two parts. The first is set in isolation from the world, and plays around with delusion, lies and confusion. What is going on is never made clear. There is a vague air of film noir as the two characters play around one another. John Diehl as a weathered, possibly psychotic hardman keeps the momentum going with constant agitation and occasional lunges towards violence.

The second half is clearer and explicitly refers to the Iraq war, arguably the topic that has been most over-examined in repetitive and dull style for the last four years. However, this is likely to be one of the most original pieces of theatre yet written on the subject. It makes points about the psychology and idealism behind the war which have not been widely discussed, and considering the sheer volume of debate, this is quite an achievement. There is also some of the most incredibly and hilariously awful singing of country music.

There are, unfortunately, slip-ups which stop the play fulfilling its potential. Although the gradual revelation of the characters' situation is smooth and rather clever, the relevance of the first half to the issues expounded in the second is not clear. The ending also strikes a slightly odd chord of anti-climax. Still, if you fancy seeing a somewhat rough-and-ready piece of intriguing new theatre not playing at the Traverse, Red State is very much worth a visit.