Based on Kenneth G. Ross’ play, Breaker Morant is brought to us by the Comedians Theatre Company, headlined by the likes of Adam Hills or Alistair Barry, and directed by Phil Nichol and Tom Daley. With such talent behind the play one would hope for a solid piece of work, and it doesn’t disappoint. Though the majority of the cast come from the comedy circuit, they all approach the subject matter with the talents necessary for such drama, and they excel in doing so, demonstrating that they have more to offer than just their jokes and punch-lines.
The story, concerning soldier Henry Morant’s court martial for the murder of prisoners of war and a German missionary during the Boer War, is told through a re-enactment of the court case, itself. With all actors present on stage at all times, the weight of the whole play is placed on all of the actors equally. Henry Morant (superbly played by Adam Hills) is not even the character with the most lines or presence on stage, even though the whole play evolves around him. As the trial has different people giving their versions of the events, we often have Morant in the background just listening to his verdict.
Morant’s fellow soldiers, Lieutenant Handcock and Witton are also well characterised by Brendon Burns and Heath Franklin, but it is Sammy J, as the defendant’s lawyer who steals the show, growing on stage as he seems to be winning the case by the minute.
The last poignant minutes of the show give a heartbreaking closure to a dilemma that, although never resolved, leaves for some heavy thinking: was Henry Morant a hero or a villain?
4/5
Adrian G. Velazquez
