Review: The Godless War, Lion and Unicorn Theatre
A brand-new epic poem that draws on Ancient Greek literature and South Asian culture, to tell a powerful, relevant story about the destruction that war brings and the indifference of gods.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Arif Silverman’s The Godless War is an ambitious project for a one man show. He has written a brand-new epic poem, all in iambic pentameter, about how destructive war is. This chronicle, conveyed through the power of Silverman’s performance and with minimal staging, gives the account of the last survivor of a culture that has been destroyed. Over the course of 75 minutes, the audience is taken into a world that Silverman has created, to witness the religious war that destroyed the narrator’s country and the gods who abandoned their people.
This work broadly fits into the anti-war tradition and sits well alongside the writing of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, or the music of Phil Ochs. It makes a passionate case that religious intolerance has led to a lot of bloodshed throughout history and that the gods are indifferent to our suffering.
Despite using Ancient Greek literature as its basis, and being set firmly in a mythological world, there is much contemporary relevance. The theme of the huge cost to civilians in war and how armies inflict collective punishment on whole peoples, is reminiscent of images from news stories of the recent Gaza-Israel Conflict.
As the plot unfolds, the war consumes the narrative and it becomes clear that a nation driven by a violent ideology is attacking a peaceful one. This, along with the South Asian influences on the world-building, brings to mind the Chinese conquest of Tibet. These parallels work with the fantasy and historical elements to deliver a political message that highlights the universal nature of the anti-war themes, without being didactic.
Silverman is an excellent writer. He weaves a captivating tale, with a few surprises along the way, which makes the political arguments land. He delivers a great performance, as he easily moves between many characters, making each one distinct.
The story is well paced, expanding outward from one character in one place, adding more characters and more locations, bringing in the invading antagonists, and ultimately encompassing an entire nation. The themes of religious intolerance, the pointless carnage of war and the gods having abandoned their subjects are built up steadily, leading to an effective climax where the gods finally speak.
The ending is sudden, and I could have easily sat through more that developed the conflict further. The writing conjures a rich world, drawing on influences from Ancient Greek literature and South Asian culture. The denouement evokes images from recent conflicts, including parents pulling the bodies of children from the rubble, which is very powerful and reinforces the modern political message.
The Godless War is an impactful work that delivers its emotional punch with little other than the power of epic story telling. The writing lives up to the scale of the ambition, which is a big accomplishment.
Written by: Arif Silverman
Directed by: Kazeem Akinsanya and Neha Hemachandra
Produced by: Arif Silverman
Stage Manager: Lily Roake
Costume Design by: Alyssa Poon
Lighting Design by: Aaron Molloy
The Godless War plays at Lion and Unicorn Theatre until 25 January. Further information and tickets available here.