Naima Khan reviews the frank verbatim play Tactical Questioning: Scenes from the Baha Mousa Inquiry.
Excerpts from a public inquiry don't necessarily lend themselves to theatre as Tactical Questioning proves. It's a great example of how theatre can be used as a documentary form and presents its subject - military procedure – as something we, as a nation, know very little about. In this sense it draws its audience in but there is little to note in terms of its theatricals. The material that journalist and playwright Richard Norton-Taylor has selected is cleverly engaging, consistently harrowing and eloquently conveyed. More importantly, the issues it raises are quite unforgettable, and the accounts it portrays are balanced but ultimately debunking. I would certainly go back and see it again, but I'm also very interested in the subject matter and that's a lot more essential here than with most plays.
The bland inquiry room setting of Tactical Questioning, and the plain, specific questions from the Counsel to the Inquiry are difficult to overcome but the people presented in the play are well selected. Their testimonies are the ones we want to hear from the get-go and they represent various levels of responsibility within the government and army which creates a balanced and occasionally scintillating play. The army is never demonised but we are left in awe at the lack of information available to the troops and the emotional intensity of their job.
The Baha Mousa Inquiry came into existence after the death of the 26 year-old suspected insurgent and we soon come to realise if that there had been no death, there would have been no inquiry. The hooding and stress positions used to disorientate detainees are not illegal but whether they were justified in this instance and what lead to the death of Baha Mousa is questioned rigorously. These shocking facts we learn from a military lawyer, as he expresses his frustration at being ignored by military personnel. With each set of questions from Gerard Elias QC, and each set of answers from the military and government officials involved, we learn a new horrible fact.
Of the few theatricals, the close ups provided by large flat screens dotted around the inquiry room are noteworthy. They highlight the facial expressions of those on-stage, which is needed here as the dialogue can feel like a never-ending tennis match. The screens prove especially effective when they highlight the quotes read from various statements by former minister Adam Ingram and others. The ludicrous ways those with higher powers attempt to dodge responsibility is made all the more unbelievable when we see the words on screen alongside their delivery.
We are left wondering who we should hold accountable for unlawful or immoral actions ordered by superiors within the army. Is every private responsible for their own actions? Should they question authority unlike their training teaches them? Or should the blame lie with their superiors?
Tactical Questioning is a thought-provoking, necessary play that could do with a little more creativity if it's to be reproduced at a less poignant time. (The publishing of the inquiry report has recently been delayed and is now expected in September.)
Tactical Questioning runs at Tricycle Theatre until 2nd July.
Image credit: Tristram Kenton
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