A must-'Watch' returns

By Meredith Deliso

Talk about theater of war.

“Black Watch” -— the National Theatre of Scotland’s searing look at soldiers in Iraq — is back at St. Ann’s Warehouse for a third run.

The play is based on interviews playwright Gregory Burke conducted with soldiers who served in a Scottish Army regiment, telling their story via video sequences, bagpipes, intense acrobatics, panoramic historical sequences, and breathtaking battlefield sequences.

We called it a “must see” when it last ran at the DUMBO theater in 2008, a year after its New York premiere. In this new production, running from April 16 to May 8, there’s a fresh, younger cast, but with director John Tiffany still at the helm of Burke’s expertly crafted script, it’s still a must-see.

“It is important to remember the soldiers just as our troops are returning home in July, and ‘Black Watch’ paints their emotional landscape with deep empathy,” said Susan Feldman, St. Ann’s artistic director. “The youthfulness of the new recruits, like the real soldiers the actors are portraying, lends a heart breaking, fresh realism to the show, which, six years after its premiere in Edinburgh, has become a modern classic.”

“Black Watch” at St. Ann’s Warehouse [38 Water St. between Dock and Main streets in DUMBO, (718) 834-8794], April 16-May 8. Tickets $55-$90. For info, visit www.stannswarehouse.org.