Palace of the End is a play about Iraq. It is a set of monologues involving three characters who have been integrally involved in the story of this illegal war. Private Lynndie England, the young American soldier who was captured on camera abusing Iraqi prisoners at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad; Peter Kelly, the Government's foremost UN weapons inspector who caused a major political scandal when he exposed their "sexed up" Weapons of Mass Destruction dossier and who committed suicide a few days after appearing before a Parliamentary Committee investigating the exposure; and the story of the female Communist politician Nehrjas Al Saffrah who suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime and died when the Americans bombed her home.
Written by the Canadian playwright Judith Thompson, the play is very well researched. As a consequence, it is at times quite harrowing particularly when we hear detailed abuse of what happened not only in Abu Ghraib but also to Nahryas' children when they were captured by Hussein's thugs.
Kellie Bright, as Private Lynndie England (the semi-literate girl who was brought up in a trailer park) effectively portrays her naivety in getting involved with the atrocities at the prison and her disbelief at the venom spewed at her when the story broke. Bright also maintains a great West Virginian accent throughout her performance.
Robert Demeger, playing David Kelly, captures the dignity of this self-effacing man who tragically exposed the lies leading up to the justification for the invasion. And Eve Polycarpou's portrayal of Nehrjas Al Saffrah's strength in the most appalling adversity was heart-rending.
What was lacking in the production however was direction. It was static. There was very little movement on stage and an hour and forty-five minutes is a long time to maintain interest, despite the script.
Times: varied times until 30 August