Operation Crucible - Finborough Theatre (Review)
Review by Shanna Schreuder
OPERATION is a beautifully written play with stellar performances and clever direction.
The debut play by new playwright Kieran Knowles, this 80-minute piece is set on December 12, 1940 when the German Luftwaffe carried out an intense air attack, code name Schmelztiegel (Crucible) on Sheffield. The aim of destroying the city’s steel works and halting Britain’s munitions manufacturing was achieved, but it cost the lives of more than 600 people and altered the city forever.
Knowles’s play is the story of four steelworkers who find themselves trapped under 15 feet of rubble, where once stood the iconic 15-storey Marples Hotel. Throughout their horrific entombment we find out about their camaraderie when grafting at the steel plant, their family histories and home lives.
Bryony Shanahan’s direction is exquisite as she manages to turn the bare, compact stage of the Finborough Theatre from a towering factory to a dancehall and, finally, into a collapsed cellar.
As well as having written Operation Crucible, Knowles also plays genial Tommy, the leader of the group. Salvatore D’Aquilla is excellent as naive newbie Bob; Paul Tinto shows the sweet and hard side of hothead Phil; and James Wallwork’s delivers a fine turn as Arthur.
The ensuing play is as gripping as it is heart-breaking and it’s a genuine must-see piece of theatre.
Operation Crucible is at the Finborough Theatre from Tuesday, July 28 to Saturday, August 22, 2015.
Visit the website or read our preview