EVENTS WHILE GUARDING THE BOFORS GUN

“The production is as good as anything you will find in London theatre.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“This served as my first visit to the Finborough and I can’t wait to return if this is the quality of their productions. Engaging, ambiguous, intelligent, and bold are the words that come to mind to describe this play. Go and see it, not only because it’s great but because in this cast we are privileged to be seeing some true stars of the future.” Colin Appleby, Bargain Theatre

“As ever, one leaves the Finborough wondering how its rediscoveries could have been left gathering dust for so long”. Sarah Penny, Exeunt

“It is 10 years since the playwright John McGrath died; 46 since this play was last seen in London. Both the man and his work are honoured in this superb revival by Robert Hastie” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“The Finborough - which has admirable form in reviving the often neglected work of left-leaning 20th-century dramatists - the opportunity to see a well-performed, well-directed staging of a McGrath play should not be wasted.” Ciaran Bermingham, Morning Star

“A thrilling evening at the theatre” Colin Appleby, Bargain Theatre

“An earthy, scathing play about the futility of imperialist ambitions in the postwar era, 'Events…' has aged well: minor cosmetic tweaks could easily relocate it to present Afghanistan.” Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out

“Profoundly affecting”. Sarah Penny, Exeunt

“Exceedingly chilling like the icy wind that blows through the military base, this production makes your blood run cold.” Carolin Kopplin, UK Theatre Network

“Seething tension...For a play first performed more than 40 years ago, Events Whilst Guarding the Bofors Gun still maintains an almost frightening intensity, strong enough to unsettle even today’s audiences.” Rebecca Hussien, A Younger Theatre

“Prolific, impassioned and wonderfully eclectic, the late John McGrath (he was one of the key writers on 'Z-Cars'!) deserves modern reappraisal just as much as his peers Arnold Wesker and Edward Bond.” Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out

“And it's salutary to be reminded that McGrath was one of our finest postwar political dramatists.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Ten years after McGrath's death and over 45 years since this play was last seen in London this is a worthwhile revival. I hope it we may see more of his plays brought to life again in the near future.” Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide

“A must-see...Combines seamlessly a grittiness, rawness, plus a leavening humour, borne from real-life experience, and a state-of-the-nation play: A sort of Journey’s End for post-imperial conscription Britain” Traffic Light Theatregoer

“The men wrestle with their confined space like animals in a cage, the raw masculine energy constantly threatening to spill over into the audience.” Rebecca Hussien, A Younger Theatre

“The cast is outstanding” Rebecca Hussien, A Younger Theatre

“A uniformly strong cast matched by clever, under-stated but resonant design, lighting, sound effects and staging.” Traffic Light Theatregoer Blog

“The cast is excellent throughout” Carolin Kopplin, UK Theatre Network

“Exceptionally well performed” Chris Hislop, One Stop Arts

“The actors are all brilliant, bar none” Chris Hislop, One Stop Arts

“Charles Aitken conveys a combination of Irish intellectualism – McGrath had a keen ear for the phrasing and cadence of the accent – and unnerving aggression.” Sarah Penny, Exeunt

“Played with incredible intensity by Charles Aitken.” Natasha Tripney, The Stage

“A bravura performance from Charles Aitken, both frightening and touching” Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide

“Charles Aitken as the stricken solider is both terrifying and beguiling, an utter force of nature” Rebecca Hussien, A Younger Theatre

“Charles Aitken is outstanding as the deeply troubled Gunner O’Rourke” Carolin Kopplin, UK Theatre Network

“Charles Aitken is simply incredible as the passionate madman, managing to portray a man who's lost the will to live, whose bitterness has led him to violent action. It's a meaty part and Aitken is wonderful to watch” Chris Hislop, One Stop Arts

“A tour de force performance by the mesmerising and powerful Charles Aitken” Colin Appleby, Bargain Theatre 

“Charles Aitken brilliantly invests O'Rourke with a mix of fierce intelligence, sardonic humour and wild self-destructiveness.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Phil Cheadle as a bitter Ulsterman and Michael Shelford as a narcoleptic west countryman also stand out” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Lee Armstrong nicely conveys Evans's fumbling naivety” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Lee Armstrong is touchingly awkward as the young officer” Natasha Tripney, The Stage

“Michael Shelford as Gunner Rowe...is superb.” Sarah Penny, Exeunt

“A sterling production directed by Robert Hastie” Traffic Light Theatregoer Blog

“The set design is sublime - turning a small theatre in the hottest week of the year into a wide, open gun platform in the middle of a blizzard is a work of art, and James Perkins' hinted addition of painted girders (with the shadows, but not the actual girders, painted onto the walls) is very striking indeed” Chris Hislop, One Stop Arts