Go to Your God Like a Soldier

I doubt there are many Fringe productions that have two current Army members on their creative teams, but that speaks to the authenticity sought – and achieved – by :DELIRIUM: in Go to Your God Like a Soldier, commissioned by the company and written by Andrew Keatley.

In Afghanistan, four British soldiers, one of them female, are ambushed while out on a routine patrol and barricade themselves in a school building. As they await orders and plot their next move, we get flashbacks to their UK back stories – one is going to court with his ex-wife for access to their toddler, another is a rootless orphan himself, one misses out on a date in a supermarket, another undergoes physio for a phantom tremor – which underline the sacrifices required on the homefront for serving on the front line.

In addition to military advisors, the creative team includes two movement directors, a video designer and a composer – as well as lighting and sound designers, all of whom make their impressive marks in a fluid, physical piece with a blood-pumping soundscape and shifting photo and gritty video backdrops played out on a classroom chalkboard.

With Go to Your God Like a Soldier, :DELIRIUM: have laid out their stall out with a strong and memorable company aesthetic. Kudos too to the multiple role-playing cast – James Rose, Michelle Luther, Tom Ripley, Shamaya Blake and  Oliver Kaderbhai, who also directs. I look forward immensely to their next production.