Chris Eldon Lee reviews ‘The Silver Sword’ which is at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre until Saturday 3rd October
Ian Serraillier’s intentions could not have been clearer. In writing ‘The Silver Sword’ in 1956, he implicitly trusted his young readers with the truth about war. And Susie McKenna’s brand new production, to its absolute credit, does exactly the same. From its bleak projections of war-torn Warsaw to the plight of its child refugees, it’s a complete history – without compromise.
The story is hugely heart warming and its presentation so enormously entertaining it kept an impressionable schools’ matinee audience completely enthralled; whilst the sentimentality of it all brought a tear to a seasoned critic’s eye.
The silver sword is in fact a precious paperknife; a family treasure which guides a party of Polish children across Europe in search of their parents. The episodes along the way generate boh adventure and the story’s moral code.
In the best tradition of “Let’s do the show right here!” a troupe of travelling actor/musicians, equipped with a handcart, upright piano and puppets, pitches up to tell their tale….and it’s the youngsters who steal the show. Recently graduated Rachel Flynn is the prancing vitality of the outfit (if this were ‘Swallows and Amazons’ she’d be sensible Susan and Captain Nancy all rolled into one) whilst ebullient Tom Mackley plays the wild child Jan as a worldly-wise Artful Dodger. It’s a perfect pairing.
The youngest child of all, little Bronia, was played on Monday afternoon by Catrin Connellan with clarity, confidence and full comprehension.
They are orbited by an excellent ensemble, popping in and out as compact caricatures, driving them forward on their quest. Nathan Turner particularly shines, lustily playing a series of heavily accented soldiers from disparate armies…from Ivan the Russian to GI Joe.
The show continuously connects with its young audience. The family’s father, when tempted to swear out loud, is sharply reminded, “You are a teacher, you know!” There’s a touchingly impoverished birthday party – and delightful, child-like crayon pictures appear on screen as the scenery. It’s all very well targeted towards young minds.
But the show is on shakier ground when it tries a little too hard to please the grown ups. In the second half, Steve Edis’s very fitting East European folk music is invaded by a series of Vaudeville vignettes. I welcomed the variety – but had concerns about their value. A Noel Coward-style number sung by a compassionate British Major at a Berlin clearing station is, admittedly, absolutely delicious – as is the escaped chimpanzee that commandeers his car. But the sequence of songs on the theme of ‘plunder makes the world go round’ seemed superfluous and is, in any case, superseded by a much more child-friendly heart-to-heart between Ruth and Jan about the ethics of thieving, even just to survive.
Unfortunately they are time-consuming cul-de-sacs, which squeeze the show headlong into a rather rushed conclusion. I wanted more clarity about the final, stormy crossing of Lake Constance…before submitting myself to being deeply moved by the big ‘Railway Children’ reunion.
Nevertheless, The Silver Sword is an emotional and engaging show for both fresh faces and hardy historians – and I can recommend it to young and old alike.
Visit www.belgrade.co.uk for bookings & more information about Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre