Royal Court Theatre
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In Southern Syria a scheme was introduced to provide families with a goat if they had given a martyr to the war, that is, if their son had died fighting against the enemy who were supposedly terrorists. This play focuses on a village that is deeply affected by the war and has started the new scheme. It also questions truth; what is it, do we even need it? A funeral takes place at the start of the play, where almost immediately Abu Firas asks what is really happening to the soldiers who are sent to fight. Through the course of the play it is slowly hinted at as to what is happening, until a hair-raising second act opener in which we find the whole, shocking truth.
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I think that the script cleverly explored the impact of the war on this community and also the conflict between people within the village. The majority of the performances from the cast were excellent, particularly Carlos Chahine as Abu Firas. The goats as well, yes live goats, were wonderful. Deliberately distracting, they wandered around the stage in search of food, at times attempting to leave. I have to say that they were very funny and incredibly cute!
The set consisted of 6 large television screens, which at times showed live footage of what was happening on stage in the format of a news report, indicating the way that the lives of these people has been almost fictionalized so that the world can watch. At other times they showed video game footage or names of characters, when actors were multi-rolling. That technique was used at the end of the first act, when the 4 teenagers were playing about 7 different fathers in a scene at the graveyard. What could potentially have been an important scene became confusing, as the screens flashed different names, failing to keep up with the speed at which the dialogue was going.
I was gripped throughout the play and felt that I had learnt a lot when I came out. Some moments were especially effective , including the deeply poignant ending. This play is definitely worth seeing, if not for the brilliant acting and fascinating story, then definitely for the Goats!