Black Watch Rocks

A few days ago, I tried to order online tickets to "Black Watch", which is playing at St. Ann's Warehouse Theatre at 38 Water Street in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn through November 11. I was shocked to find that the show was sold out. I shouldn't have been. "Black Watch" is an extraordinary play that shouldn't be missed.

Although officially sold out, a limited number of tickets can be purchased at the St. Ann's Warehouse box office each night at 7 p.m. To do so, you have to be fairly high on a wait list. On the evening of November 8, I arrived at St. Ann's at 6:40, and a wait list line of 15 people had already formed. By the time the box office opened, the size of the line had doubled. A St. Ann's staff member said to a man several places ahead of me that anyone who was behind him had little chance of admission. Things were looking grim, but I persisted.

My chances improved when the usher began shouting names. The first person called purchased a ticket privately, increasing the box office supply by one. A couple of people ahead of me had given up. When my name was called, I replied with a "Yesss!" and triumphantly proceeded to the ticket window. I felt like I had won Lotto, and "Black Watch" didn't disappoint.

The vaunted Black Watch Regiment hailed from Scotland and fought in conflicts throughout the world from 1739 to 2006, including alongside Americans in both world wars. In 2006, Black Watch was merged into a new Scottish Regiment. "Black Watch", written by Gregory Burke and produced by John Tiffany, focuses on the regiment's last assignment: supporting American troops during the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq.

This isn't a play for the faint of heart--literally. A warning sign posted just outside the theatre door says that intense lighting effects and sudden, loud noises may be hazardous to those with health problems. Violence and carnage are depicted. Because the athletic cast of 10 uses the entire theatre, anyone who wants to leave before the end has to be escorted by an usher and cannot return. The production runs 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Ladies beware: you may find "Black Watch" sexist. The cast is all-male. Foul language abounds. At many points, every second word is the f-word, and every third word is the c-word. Barnyard humor is in plentiful supply.

The story is told through an alternating series of flashbacks with a writer (Paul Higgins) interviewing a group of Black Watch veterans about their recent tour in Iraq. The first military scene begins with a soldier cutting himself out of a pool table. Another pool table is later employed as a humvee or "wagon".

The physical demands on the cast would exhaust Gene Kelly in his prime. The production is filled with expertly choreographed, stylized fight scenes. The young cast members constantly run the length of the stage, which is about half the size of a U.S. football field. To simulate watchtower observation, they clamber up scaffolding at both ends of the theatre. This area also doubles as a reporting booth for BBC commentators.

There is no time to doze off. Audience members have to constantly move their necks laterally to keep up with the action alternating between both ends of the stage. For Yanks, the Scottish brogue and slang take a little getting used to, but the effort is well worth it.

This isn't a feel-good play. The night I saw it, the house was packed, and the seating was slightly uncomfortable . The sound of explosions literally shook the entire theatre; the floor was convulsing under my feet. Powerful strobe lights and overhead video monitors showing the cross hairs of a "smart bomb" completed the atmosphere.

Following British theatrical style, cast members occasionally break into song in the middle of a dramatic scene, making for a nice change of pace.

"Black Watch" is a group effort; no single character predominates. Still, several tend to stand out. Higgins is particularly good in the dual role of writer and platoon sergeant. As a civilian, he's mild-mannered and sensitive. In uniform, he's a young, shorter version of Sean Connery. Jack Fortune, who plays the commanding officer, initially seems a bit formal but by the end of the production shares a special bond with his enlisted men. The emails to his wife, which he reads aloud, recall the eloquence of Major Sullivan Ballou's letter in Ken Burns's Civil War series. Ali Craig, who plays Stewarty, gives a terrifying portrayal of an emotionally disturbed soldier.

Any discussion of the Iraq war inevitably leads to politics, and "Black Watch" condemns U.S. policy in the region. The Scots are confused by the American strategy and frustrated by complex rules of engagement. The officer angrily pronounces the invasion of Iraq, "the biggest fuckin' policy disaster in Western history." One soldier actually expresses some sympathy for the insurgents in the face of withering American firepower, remarking that "the poor bastards" can't fight after getting hit like that.

At its best, "Black Watch" depicts the dangerous vagaries and hardships of military life while exploring the ambiguity of unconventional war. All the while, it presents the audience with a cornucopia of the senses.

Although "Black Watch" closes in Brooklyn on November 11, it will open in London, Australia, and New Zealand in 2008. A schedule appears on the National Theatre of Scotland's website at http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=home_showBlackwatch. Hopefully, "Black Watch" will return to the United States in short order. Watch for it.