Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
Five stars
The world has been turned upside down several times over in the sixteen years since Matthew Zajac first performed his remarkable solo work in honour of his Polish/Ukrainian father who settled for the quiet life of the Highlands following the turmoil of the Second World War. A decade and a half on, and after more than 300 performances across the globe, the acquired baggage of Ben Harrison’s production for Zajac’s Dogstar company has gained a vital currency.
Following a sold out four week season in London, it is serendipitous that Zajac’s show arrives in Edinburgh for a brief run the week of Polish Independence Day. With Russia’s assault on Ukraine ongoing, Zajac’s play may be a deeply personal work, but as he embarks on a pilgrimage in search of his own roots, it becomes a hymn to much bigger histories. As illustrated on the map projected behind him on Ali Maclaurin’s set, those histories may have shaped the world, but they also fractured families and made refugees of those caught in their crossfire.
Accompanied by Gavin Marwick and Jonny Hardie’s cracked fiddle music played live, Zajac cuts a deceptively avuncular dash as his father. Gradually, however, his turbulent past is revealed from a time when he was forever on the run from one army or another in eternally occupied territory as borders were constantly redrawn. As Zajac digs deeper, travelling across the world to meet his elderly relatives for the first time, an even more complex story emerges.
Beyond Zajac’s loving portrait of his father, this comes through moving snippets of documentary film footage that become a kind of healing, both for Zajac and the other children of war he unexpectedly encounters in this beautiful dramatic eulogy. As the world rips itself apart, those currently seeking sanctuary might not be so lucky.
The Herald, November 16th 2024
Ends
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