Bomber’s Moon Shines

The Belgrade’s B2 studio is perfectly suited to this two-hander. It is easy to forget that you’re not really in Jimmy’s (Paul Greenwood) sitting room, listening to his monologue, frequently punctuated by a succession of swear words fluently delivered. At first it’s a shock to be sat listening to an old man swearing so profusely, but you soon come to realise that Jimmy is not your average pensioner.

Greenwood’s magnificent performance shows the complex character of a seemingly sceptical old man. Embittered by his war experiences he holds a grudging view of God, religion, and depressingly of humanity itself. Old age is presented uncompromisingly: the inability to take care of himself, a frustrating impotency and the shame that comes with not having full control of his body. Yet the great strength of the play is the humour which frames these issues. Our laughter makes the unbearable bearable. When Jimmy comments: “if I was a shop I’d have ‘last few days’ plastered over me” the audience roars .

Whilst Tim Dantay’s performance as David is generally excellent, it lacks Greenwood’s flair and does not fully convey the sadness lurking beneath the jovial exterior. However, he strongly conveys David’s exasperation, earnestness and feeling. Playwright William Ivory uses the character to explore conflicting ideas of forgiveness as is evident when David shows Jimmy a newspaper cutting about a peace and forgiveness event at Coventry cathedral featuring a British and a German bishop touching on a current research issue and the extent of German awareness of Hitler’s actions is also questioned.

In trying to get us thinking Bomber’s Moon also aims to achieve a lot, perhaps too much. The portrayal of the relationship between two men connected by their demons works well but Ivory is overambitious in the number of issues he raises. For example, assisted euthanasia is touched on but then turns out as a discussion about religion and the purpose of life. Likewise, homosexuality is raised only to be supplanted by an exploration of love and death itself, regardless of orientation, and in spite of Jimmy’s frequent monologues and flashbacks not all threads are together at the end.

A great deal depends on the set. The backdrop represents the interior of a plane with the light fixing ingeniously creating a propeller. The camouflage colouring symbolises Jimmy’s military past . The effect also suggests nursing home accommodation, the fixed staging acting as a constant representation of the confines of old age, but moon-like , the window/porthole to Jimmy’s flat door also serves as a ghostly reminder of Jimmy’s youth.

Great dialogue too, but then, it’d have to be – the two men talk together for a full two and a half hours.

Highly recommended. Catch it before it ends on October 1st.