Review: BATTLE CRY by Matt Fox at Etcetera Theatre 10 & 11 Sept 2021

‘Heavy weight and excellent drama about PTSD with a riveting performance from Steve Cowley’ ★★★★ 1/2

BATTLE CRY is a monologue about a British Army soldier who has returned from war and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He has to struggle with the memories of the bodies he had to put together and bury in mass graves (his first job on a tour). ‘Ordinary people who had families’ he comments. Worst of all, burned into his memory is an explosion in front of his eyes, which he was lucky to survive.   

Now sitting in a doctor’s surgery waiting to be called, he recounts what happened to him whilst downing several pints of beer. He has turned to booze to bury the memories but through this he has lost everything, family, friends and health.   

This weighty subject matter is given full due by actor Steve Cowley showing extreme suffering from PTSD right from the start of the show. Normally, it would be possible to point out that starting here, means he has nowhere to go. It did feel a little one note and yet the audience was clearly riveted by the performance and the story being unfolded.

When we see tragedy, there are usually moments of comedy. We are told this helps to heighten the drama. This production doesn’t adhere to that idea, which is fair enough as it just doesn’t feel appropriate. Collecting a body which has been blown to pieces, realising that a tattoo on an arm doesn’t match the tattoo on the hand is a case in point. There is a kind of ghoulish comic horror to it, but this feels like real life and respecting the body is something soldiers have drummed into them. Keeping it real is something that Cowley does very well. There is even a moment when he appears a little sorry for himself as the alcohol takes effect. There is no release from his state of mind even as the show closes, the only glimmer of hope is that he is about to see a doctor. It’s a start and this is the true import of the show.

Cowley doesn’t sugar coat anything and his words are taken seriously. As he begins to talk about the major catastrophe, one of the ladies in the audience slips out of the auditorium and another follows halfway through. It’s a little harrowing. Others in the audience, clearly solders, are unflinching. After the show an Irish voice could be heard to mention that he knew someone who ‘had it as bad as that’.  

This is where Matt Fox’s script and Steve Cowley interpretation are so important. Seeing these things performed on stage can really be a starting point for discussion. This is something to take from the production, that this soldier is talking and that he is seeking help. We are told that it’s one of the hardest things for a man to do, never mind soldiers, who are extremely disciplined and trained to cope with the direst situations.  

It’s worth noting that Cowley adapted the play himself and it does feel like a vehicle for his own acting, which is powerful and uncompromising. He looks the part of the soldier; he is believable in the role, and he can hold the attention of his audience in the palm of his hand.  

Madam Renards (Swindon)

BATTLE CRY by Matt Fox 

Performed by Steve Cowley

at Etcetera Theatre 10 & 11 Sept 2021

Twitter: @BattleCryThePl1

Reviewer:

Heather Jeffery is Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine