A first for poet laureate

PLAY REVIEW: INCOMING at the High Tide Festival, The Cut, Halesworth

 A highlight of this year’s High Tide Festival, held in the pretty Suffolk town of Halesworth, is the eagerly-awaited first play by former Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion. The result of an exciting collaboration between High Tide and the Poetry Trust, Incoming is loosely based on the powerful poem Home Front by Motion about Sally Thorneloe who was widowed in 2009 by the war in Afghanistan. Motion’s work has swung towards themes of war and loss in recent years with Regime change, a 2003 poem protesting against the Invasion of Iraq, and his work on the last of the First World War veterans, Harry Patch. Incoming reflects well Motion’s commitment to modern issues, providing a well-tempered, thought-provoking criticism of British involvement in foreign conflicts.

Incoming is the story of a ghost, Danny, a soldier killed in Helmand, who returns to his wife and son. The acting is exquisite; sensitive, yet realistically emotional enough to add authenticity to Motion’s uncomfortable home truths. Timon Greaves particularly shines for such a young actor, providing a powerful and convincing portrayal of Danny’s idolizing son, Jack, while Christian Bradley and Penny Layden give strong performances as Danny and Steph.

Incoming is a cleverly written play, a subtle protest against the horrors and wastes of unnecessary conflicts which takes a “pro-soldier” approach. In this Motion has neatly captured the contradictions of the Afghan war, and by extension the problem that faces the people of any country at war; how to oppose conflict without opposing those who are fighting and dying in it, without neglecting our basic humanity and regard for others. Incoming pushes us to remember the plight of soldiers at the same time as questioning our involvement in Afghanistan, or indeed any war. Danny embodies these complexities; in death he is disillusioned, running from the “glorious sadness” of the hero-worshippers, while in life, convinced of the need for British intervention. Motion brilliantly draws out the human side of war, yet does not allow us to forget the full picture. He criticises war but makes it clear that the people of Afghanistan cannot just be left to “manage their own shit”.

Motion’s play demonstrates a very natural transition from poetry to playwriting, reflecting the similarities between the two arts. In both Incoming and Motion’s poetry we see the careful creation of a world from words, each line fitting into place, each crucial, repeating, echoing, and foreshadowing to create new meanings and refer back to old ones. The play’s lines have their own kind of poetic rhythm, building their own momentum as the play progresses and driving forward the narrative and our understanding. The lightness of poetry is also something that is common to both forms. Theatre also weaves its magic through hints and suggestion, leaving much of the work to our imaginations. Motion plants his seeds in our minds and allows them to develop as the play unfolds. The second conversation between Danny and Steph is set against a backdrop of falling rain, which both muffles the powerful emotions of the pair, and echoes the rain of the funeral and the aridity of Helmand, subtly knitting together the diverging experiences of the couple.

A cracking debut play, Incoming has clearly demonstrated Motion’s ability to transfer from poet to playwright. This transition felt very natural; at the heart of both forms is a feel for humanity, and Motion seems to capture us as a species so well that he can glide easily between the two. He weaves together the dynamic truths of war, presenting us with a complex, multi-coloured view of modern warfare. We simultaneously understand the proud widow, the hero-worshipping son, and the defeated, disillusioned soldier, and in allowing this, Motion elucidates the delusions and contradictions of war. Motion’s Incoming is not so much a protest against the dodgy politics of the Afghan war, but more a moving and finely-drawn reminder of the humanity that lies behind every conflict, the toll on the often-forgotten victims, the soldiers, their wives and children.

After previewing at the High Tide Festival, Incoming will be presented at the Latitude Festival, 15^th – 17^th July, and then at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, 4^th – 6^th November.

Reviewed for "A Younger Theatre".