Review: The War Has Not Yet Started at Southwark Playhouse

It often feels as though conflict is all around us, from workplace squabbles, to the far more serious rhetoric of foreign superpowers. Mikhail Durnenkov’s The War Has Not Yet Started, combines many of these forms of hostility into a series of thought provoking vignettes, which are elegantly performed by a cast of three.

This version, in repertoire with The Here and This and Now as part of the Strange Tales from The West Country season, has been translated from its native Russian by Noah Birksted-Breen. Thanks to him, and director Gordon Anderson, it feels like nothing has been lost to translation, as this play truly finds a voice with which to speak to its audience.

In the first few scenes at least, it reminded me of a 1980’s comedy sketch show; seemingly normal situations given a slightly absurd twist in order to set up the punchline, before moving to the next completely unrelated skit. While many of the scenes have an element of comedy, the majority also have an underlying darker tone, and although it was written with the scenes in no prescribed order, it feels like this production has followed a deliberate path to escalate the tension.

A very accomplished cast make the rapid-fire scenes totally engrossing. Hannah Britland delivers some particularly poignant scenes, including an abused wife and a prisoner in the dock. Mark Quartly is equally compelling, with a good few intriguing characters for him to explore. The War Has Not Yet Started could easily have been written for Sarah Hadland who’s quick quips and natural talent is a joy to behold.

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The vignettes work well, moving along at a reasonable pace, and holding the audience’s attention. You find yourself looking for a common thread, something that will tie it all together, but apart from the conflict, it never materialises. Instead you are gripped by the nuances of the scene currently unfolding; one is performed entirely in the dark.

Several times, all of the roles are gender swapped; Mark Quartly plays a mother to Sarah Hadland’s son for example, and at times the gender of a character is never disclosed, so in these short scenes, you need to pay attention in order to quickly grasp who the key players are. It’s not distracting in any way, but does keep you on your toes.

The War Has Not Yet Started encapsulates and intrinsic part of human life, without conflict there cannot be resolution, and while Durnenkov/Birksted-Breen don’t necessarily provide us with the answers, they do keep us questioning our own perceptions throughout the twelve scenes.