{"id":2396,"date":"2013-09-17T08:49:30","date_gmt":"2013-09-17T07:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=2396"},"modified":"2013-09-17T08:49:30","modified_gmt":"2013-09-17T07:49:30","slug":"review-of-meeting-at-menin-gate-primo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=2396","title":{"rendered":"Review of “Meeting at Menin Gate”: Primo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Road to Menin Gate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>I went to see this play, and as I have seen many of Martin Lynch\u2019s plays, had a rough idea of what would happen. Victim\u2019s daughter meets her father\u2019s killer. \u00a0Angst, anger, resolution. \u00a0I was slightly out there and I didn\u2019t see what was coming, which when it did was excruciating at times to watch (or endure). \u00a0It was a play of two halves. \u00a0It was dichotomous, which reflects nicely, I suppose, the situation in our \u2018wee country\u2019.<\/p>\n

The play was well acted, but poorly attended. \u00a0I would recommend seeing it – unless torture is not your thing.\u00a0 The first half of the play is pretty standard and concentrates on developing the backgrounds of the two main characters. \u00a0At the break you are left wondering how the policeman\u2019s daughter is going to react. \u00a0She does react and not half. She obviously has problems and issues from the loss of her father some 30 years prior and I suppose Lynch gives vent to how some people feel but can\u2019t express those feelings in \u2018proper\u2019 society.<\/p>\n

I see the play on a number of levels with different themes. \u00a0First of all victims.\u00a0 An unsolvable issue for our society with our attitudes and history.\u00a0 True forgiveness is so great because it is so rare. Here a victim can give vent to their pain and hurt on a target. \u00a0But this is victimhood verging or toppling into psychosis and becoming as bad as the perpetrator? \u00a0There is also a release. A violent catharsis? I think Lynch is extremely brave to cast the victim as dancing, singing and nearly in rapture at the realisation she has captured her father\u2019s killer. \u00a0And inflicted a lot of directed pain and suffering. Two wrongs making a right? \u00a0Maybe in our wee country. \u00a0The social narrative is that victims are nice, long suffering and sombre. \u00a0The problem with N.I is that there are 3 social narratives going on as regards victims hence the confusion and intractability.<\/p>\n

But I could view the two characters as two of the main \u2018chunks\u2019 of society today. \u00a0The woman as law abiding, middle upper class \u2018decent\u2019 core unionists. \u00a0The man \u00a0as, well, \u00a0violent republicanism, Sinn Fein, et al. \u00a0The play shows up one image of how things would be if those unionists could give vent to their hurt if only they could get the Shinners hamstrung the way poor Terry ends up. \u00a0And would the unionist victim\u2019s gloat and rage over their captive? \u00a0Some would. \u00a0Of course that is not going to happen.\u00a0 Terry does his best to explain what he went through and the very human feelings of guilt with ending two men\u2019s lives. (Be they brits, peelers or whatever other label you wish to use). \u00a0I was left with a huge question. \u00a0Terry eventually– under torture– apologies and admits murder. But did he really kill\/murder\/execute her father? \u00a0I don\u2019t know. \u00a0At some point she has lost the realisation that she isn\u2019t after the truth. She is after plain old common revenge. \u00a0All in all this was a great play looking at some really complex issues.\u00a0 I am left wondering \u00a0if one of the plays messages is \u00a0that, if we took all the killers and forced confessions out of them by torture that everything would be fine. \u00a0Is this the way to resolve the Troubles legacy issue? \u00a0I don’t think so.<\/p>\n

Primo<\/strong><\/p>\n

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