Black Watch

"You have to see it," "It's amazing," all of my colleagues kept telling me.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but in my mind I wasn't sure if I wanted to see a play about Iraq.

Boy was I wrong! Black Watch isn't just a play about Iraq. It's a fantastic performance with singing, dancing, marching, humor, sadness and beautiful music, about the passion of the Scottish Black Watch regiment. Yes, the Black Watch served in Iraq, but the play is about so much more.

Performed at St. Ann's Warehouse in DUMBO, the audience is sat in seats on the long sides of a rectangular theatre. The actors use the space in between in its entirety. Men marching from end to end, blasts going off on the right side, singing on the left side, it's amazing.

The simplistic synopsis is that the Black Watch regiment served in Iraq starting in 2003. The regiment was deployed further north than the British controlled area in the south to help in the American controlled area. Three men died in a suicide bombing. The play flashes between the time in Iraq and a pub in Scotland where a researcher was seeking to interview the soldiers to learn more about their experience. The performance moves seamlessly between the two time periods.

Yes, the language is strong (there was one word that was used more time in 85 minutes than I've ever heard used collectively in my whole life.) But you get over the language quickly and enjoy the magnificent performance.

The National Theatre of Scotland's run of the play will end on Sunday. For anyone in the area, it's a must see!