Three soldiers thrown together in the heat of war must come to terms with brutal realities, while also finding moments of connection.
Inspired by his participation in the TV series “Churchill’s Secret Agents”, writer Paul Stone began to research the experience of Indian Army and queer soldiers during the Second World War. The result is Night Falls on Burma, a short play that centres on Indian soldier Kumar (Thilina Udayaratne) and two Brits: the hard-nosed Ross (Sebastian Barrett) and naive Shaw (Barnaby Rothschild).
The humidity of the theatre space added to the atmosphere of the piece, which takes place in a clearing in a Burmese jungle. The battles fought in the British colony between 1942 and 1945 pitted Allied forces against the invading Japanese army, a fight that the Allies only won after additional forces were drafted in, primarily from “British India”, allowing them to retake Burma. The main failing of Stone’s play is that we understand almost nothing of this backdrop, despite choosing to set the play in this specific point in time. The relationships between the men are the focus, however these do not reach any depth, and the interplay – though largely well performed – is fairly superficial.
Udayaratne gives a strong performance as Kumar, an unmarried Indian soldier with strikingly modern views on love and relationships. Rothschild’s Shaw is understandably drawn to him, while trying to avoid the scrutiny of traditional army man Ross (Barrett). The direction takes account of the awkward playing space and makes the best of it, however the fact that so many elements of costume are still packet-creased and clean as a whistle despite the play’s location is a huge oversight. The promo claims the “soldiers must bond to ensure the success of the military machine they are part of”, but there is no sense of urgency: the stakes are so low, the pacing feels off and the narrative lacks drive.
Night Falls on Burma is a well-intentioned work, however needs far more development to make it into a piece that has something to say about the setting it has chosen, and the men it wants to show us.
By Deborah Klayman
Night Falls On Burma plays at C Aurora, Edinburgh until August 22nd 2026.
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