Edinburgh Fringe Review - Verge of Strife

As one of the most famous war poets of his time, WW1 poet Rupert Brooke seems like an interesting subject for a play. However, despite touching upon several interesting themes, and showing Brooke's inner restlessness well, Verge of Strife seems somewhat directionless.

Photo Credit - Arsalan Sattari

The audience longs for a dramatic moment, but all such moments occur in between scenes and are merely discussed in passing before the play moves on. As such the plot saunters along without much clear sense of direction or urgency for most of its running time. 

The story also relies on its audience having a fairly in depth prior knowledge of not only Brooke's life and works, but also the lives of his friends, lovers, and other prominent societal figures at the time, and those who are not equipped with this may find themselves getting lost rather quickly. Especially because the play is structured so choppily. Admittedly the fast paced scene changes facilitated by just a snappy lighting change or prop rearrangement, do make for some admirably slick storytelling. But there are altogether too many scenes of Brooke pontificating in front of swooning admirers, and not enough exploration of his inner workings or the inspirations for his famous works. Nor is enough time spent exploring Brooke's transition from breezy young man to hardened naval sub-lieutenant. In fact, for a play about a famous war poet, very minimal scenes are dedicated to showing Brooke's actually experiencing war itself. 

However, with a wild glimmer in his eyes, and a easy swagger to his step, Jonny Labey makes the most of Brooke's vulnerable moments, and is subsequently excellent as the tumultuous poet, especially when he shares scenes with Emma Barkley who plays Brooke's earnest lover Ka Cox. 

Production designer Emeline Beroud's work is also more than just serviceable. The simplistic, summer-y set is wonderfully archaic, and compliments the production's undeniable overall finesse.

Verge of Strife is an elegantly designed production with a strong cast . Unfortunately though, despite beautifully incorporating Brooke's works into the script, the who things seems a bit underpowered and the choppy scenes and unceremonious ending leave the audience feeling deflated. 

Verge of Strife is playing at Assembly George Square every day at 2:15pm until the 29th.

Interview - Quentin Beroud (Director of Verge of Strife (at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016))

Coming to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, Nick Baldock's Verge of Strife is a critically acclaimed play, which tells the story of World War I poet Rupert Brooke, a man known as 'the voice of England.' 

Based on his letters and told through his poetry, Verge of Strife goes back to Brooke’s early years, looking at the young poet who embraced Socialism, atheism and the counterculture of Edwardian England. Described as ‘the handsomest man in all of England’ his looks, charm and wit left a trail of bruised egos and broken hearts right to the upper echelons of British society. 

Check out my interview with director Quentin Beroud Verge of Strife, and find out why it should be on your festival watch list!

Jonny Labey as Rupert Brooke

What is it about Rupert Brooke that makes him the ideal topic for a play?
Rupert Brooke was always the leading man in his lifetime, so it seems only right to put him back centre stage. He was a man constantly surrounded; by admirers, rivals, teachers and soldiers. In Verge of Strife these are played by an ensemble that swirl around our protagonist, telling his story through those that knew him best, and those that wanted to know him better. In his time he was a celebrity, never far from a gossiping tongue, and the combination of his tempestuous private life and the power of his poetry makes for an amazing combination. Also, it doesn't hurt that he was "the handsomest young man in England".

Brooke's WW1 poetry is hugely evocative. How is his work incorporated in the production?
The play is in the form of fragments of Brooke's life, and gradually each episode gives us more and more of a picture of him. Each of these episodes is introduced and inspired by a poem, so that they are both part of and outside the narrative. The poems give us flashes of Brooke the artist, and over the course of the play we understand more and more how these relate to Brooke the man.

The creative team gained access to Brooke's poems and private archived letters. How did these documents help to inform the production? 
Brooke lived an extraordinary life, and his letters and poems, from an early age, give us an incredible insight into his side of the story - how he coped with the attention (and there was a lot of attention), his sensitivity and the way he interacted with those that surrounded him. One thing that strikes you, particularly with his letters, is that he was always playing a part, always aware of his audience. Ironically enough, now that we're putting his story in front of an actual audience (something I think he would have rather liked) we've had to cut through this performativity and read between the lines of the archive material today to delve into the man beneath.

Why should Fringe audiences come and see Verge of Strife?
In the incredible story of an extraordinary man, told in an innovative way. Jonny Labey is brilliant as Brooke - leading a fantastic diverse ensemble of actors. 

What are the plans for this production of Verge of Strife post-Edinburgh?
Brooke’s poems were the people’s voice during the war and we feel that this show and his story also belongs to the people. I’d like to see us tour the show. With the style and structure that we have developed, It felt right to premiere the show at the Fringe. Our producing team are confident and hard at work, but obviously at this stage we can’t confirm any details. 

You can catch Verge of Strife at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, at the Assembly George Square (Studio Two), Edinburgh, EH8 9LH from Thursday 4th until Monday 29th August 2016.