Safe Haven Review – Kurds left on the sidelines of diplomat-led drama | stage

THis historical drama about the 1991 Kurdish uprising in Iraq abounds with diplomats. And then there’s the Whitehall band, which speaks in staccato tones about the Kurds hiding in the mountains, at the mercy of Saddam Hussein’s armed forces. There is the Iraqi diplomat Al-Tikriti, Saddam’s half-brother, and there is also Chris Powers, the playwright and former British diplomat in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Powers infuses the discussions and arguments at the heart of this crisis with an authenticity that carries weight, but it doesn’t make for good drama on its own.

The heroes here are the diplomats, Clive (Richard Linson) and Catherine (Beth Burrows), who give us the political details of their world (“What with the transition from Margaret Thatcher to John Major”). But since diplomacy is diplomacy, reasoned debate prevails over the spark of dialogue or action. Instead there is planning, maneuvering and strategic resourcefulness. These elements would make for effective political drama, especially when a vaunted American general (Stephen Kavanaugh) tries to derail their idea of ​​creating a safe haven for the Kurds (ultimately leading to Operation Sanctuary), but the pace, complexity and depth are just not there.

Under the direction of Mark Geiser, short scenes move from Whitehall to various press conferences, Clive Park, and occasionally the Iraqi mountains. They all feel very functional, offering information and presentation above the human drama.

The characters are paper thin, and some of the performances are well done. Clive, unfortunately, is as dull as one of Major’s gray suits, and speaks in the expected cricketing metaphors, and Catherine is generic. Al-Takriti (Mazloum Gul), when he appears briefly, is a mouthpiece. It is Clive’s wife in central England, Anne (Lisa Zahra), who is left to bring the drama by insisting on taking responsibility for the Kurds’ plight when he is initially reluctant to do so.

The horror faced by the Kurdish population is mainly represented by a pregnant woman, Najat (Eugenie Buda) and her companion (also played by Zahra), hiding in the mountains while the Allied Forces Umm Ah protect them from the massacre. There is also Najat’s brother, a doctor, refugee and apparently activist, who manages to gain access to the British diplomatic corps and appeal to Catherine directly about what his people are facing.

You want more focus on the Kurdish experience rather than scenes of extracted fear or resilience. What about debates, maneuvers, and resourcefulness on mountaintops?

This is a neglected part of Iraq’s history, from a Western point of view, which was overshadowed by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and later the American invasion of Iraq. It deserves more drama, emotion and political complexity on the ground.