Man of War: The Secret Life of Nadezhda Durova
★★★★☆ Powerful
theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Venue 43): Fri 2 – Sat 24 Aug 2024
Review by Rebecca Mahar
With four actors sharing the title role, Man of War: The Secret Life of Nadezhda Durova from Acting Coach Scotland is a compelling, ensemble-driven telling of the life of a man, who was a woman; a person, who was a soldier; putting aside all personal comforts for their country’s good.
If that sounds like drama, it’s because it’s borrowed from Rosa Koskinen’s script, which was inspired by Cavalry Maiden, the incongruously titled autobiography of Nadezha Durova. The script doesn’t seem to have quite decided whether it’s storytelling or theatre, with long stretches of exposition here and there that serve neither genre especially well— but are saved by the universally excellent performances of the company.
James Forrest, Reilly St. Claire, Adam Donaldson and Julia Bainbridge. Pic: A.S.S.
Adam Donaldson, Reilly St. Claire, James Forrest and Julia Bainbridge circulate about the stage with an urgent energy, stepping seamlessly from Durhova to supporting characters and back again, separating into multiple individuals and rejoining to give their shared character a united voice. The gender presentation of the performer(s) embodying Durhova at any given point is irrelevant to the character’s presentation: all represent all forms of the person they play.
This is a prescient and poignant choice, given that they wished the book Cavalry Maiden to be published as Notes of Alexsandrov, to reflect the name under which they lived most of their life: Aleksandr Andreevish Alexsandrov; but it was changed to Notes of N.A. Durova by Aleksandr Pushkin when first published, and then to Cavalry Maiden by an editor.
anguish
The question of Alexsandrov’s gender identity has been much debated and questioned, but their anguish at Pushkin’s change to the title of the book is clear in a letter written to the publisher, declaring “the name which you have called me…in the preface haunts me! … You called me by that name which makes me shudder” (cf. Ruth Averbach “The (Un)masking of a Man: Aleksandr Aleksandrov/Nadezhda Durova” for more on Pushkin’s unilateral decision and Aleksandrov-Durova’s identity).
Julia Bainbridge, James Forrest, Adam Donaldson and Reilly St. Claire. Pic: A.S.S.
Man of War chooses not to take a side in this debate, rather focusing on Alexsandrov’s origins, and how Durova “became” Alexsandrov; highlighting their birth to a mother who desperately wanted a son, their childhood among soldiers, their decision to abandon an unhappy marriage; the speculation of their fellow soldiers when rumours began to fly about their sex; those sympathetic along the way, who knew their secret but chose not to reveal them, from an officer’s wife to the Tsar himself.
In the end, Man of War offers a portrait of Alexsandrov as a person who overcame challenges, lived truthfully under the direst of circumstances, served their country with honour and bravery, and had nothing to hide. Somehow managing to pack all this into less than an hour, it is a show worthy of expansion and a deeper exploration of its central character.
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval)
theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Annexe), Hill Square EH8 9DR (Venue 43)
Friday 2 – Saturday 24 August 2024
Daily: 3.10 pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
ENDS
