‘Cockpit’ is a captivating play that gives the audience a completely new perspective of the play by allowing the audience to sit on stage, I felt immersed in the action as I sat within the audience on stage.
Director Wils Wilson created an incredible drama exploring the chaos and disorder after the Second World War as British soldiers try to orderly send those who have survived the war back to a safe home, but the definition of ‘home’ after the war is lost. At the end of the war, a theatre in Germany is used to hold misplaced people; tension rises as people from different countries refuse to be sent away together and there are accusations of some being fascists. There is disorder, as the plague is feared to be spread within the theatre as a man falls ill. Some characters form brief alliances as they work together in order to create peace within the misplaced people who are nervous and don’t know where they will be sent to next.
There are some moments of peace as an opera singer performs and there is a calm serenity within the room after her performance before the chaos starts again and there is more conflict. The staging was used very effectively as the minimalism of the stage showed how there was little left after the war, which reflects that the misplaced people had nowhere to call home as many of their homes had been destroyed in the war.
This play conveys themes of loss, humanity and trust. I think it has an important message as it shows future generations the corruption and division that war causes even after the war is over. This play is especially relevant now after Brexit as it shows how history could be repeated. This play is definitely worth seeing.
5 stars