Having only emerged from East 15 drama school last year, Fools Play Collective have surpassed themselves in their production of Our Soldier, a piece of physical storytelling that places the story of Macbeth among a group of soldiers in wartime.
We are guided through the story by keen-eyed reporter Alice Coggins, played by Lottie Ormerod, who does a fantastic job of providing humorous little inflections that prevent the intense physical ensemble from taking itself too seriously. The familiar tragedy is then played out after the famed soldier Mack is chosen for greatness by three shady figures with briefcases for heads. This eerie scene is a real highlight and an exciting example of Fools Play Collective’s emerging theatrical style, which has a dramatic maturity that belies their inexperience.
There is room for improvement of course – for instance, a puppet is used to represent Mack in two scenes and, although it is operated well, it feels like a tag-on and doesn’t fit in with the style of the piece. The company would do better to focus and develop the physical ensemble work they do so well. They might also benefit from a director’s eye to draw the slightly disparate elements together and create a more rounded piece.
But there are flashes of real greatness in the show, including some excellent use of projection. The final scene in which the soldiers turn on a now exposed Mack is also a highlight. The ensemble use torches to throw light on tightly set physical images which flash and linger in the dark.
With a little time and care this could grow to be a fantastic piece of theatre. Fools Play Collective themselves will undoubtedly develop to be great theatre-makers – definitely a company to look out for in the future.