Ajax in Iraq Review: Haytham Elhawary, Theatre Is Easy

Starting to catch up! Our next review is by Haytham Elhawary from Theatre is Easy, and it’s lovely. He begins with a quote from Plato I was unfamiliar with that fits the play painfully well: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” I also appreciate that he notices how much of the play is concerned with the fine line between heroism and cruelty, a large theme of the play that others have responded to less strongly.

His one criticism is likewise interesting: he thinks the play could do with less overlapping of A.J. and Ajax’s story. Do you agree? I find the collision of the two stores so satisfying, especially the scene when they speak as one; and I love how the end of both stories lay on top of each other, as if only a layer of sand and time kept them apart. I don’t think those moments would be possible without the amount of intertwining leading up to them – what do you think?

My favorite quote is the one that ends the review:

Ajax in Iraq does an excellent job of presenting a social critique against war combined with the story of its effects on the individual lives of a group of soldiers. If you want to see a play that will have you thinking about its story for many days to come, this will definitely stir your conscience.

So, read the whole review here, then get your tickets, and leave your own thoughts on the play here. Only four performances remaining!