1.52°C Paul T. Davies reviews At War With Myself, staged at the Headgate Theatre.
Personal stories thrive at a Fringe festival, and if you check over reviews for Colchester Fringe, you will see there have been many. The successful pieces have been created when the artist has had enough distance from their experiences to look at their lives objectively and feel safe in what they are sharing with an audience.
Here is an original and often unheard story. Jon Hague, a veteran of multiple deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland, lifts the curtain on the unexpected consequences when a sober thespian marches unscripted to war. Jon served as a soldier in Colchester. Presenting in the Fringe provides a unique coalescence of a veteran telling his story in the garrison where it took place.
Let’s be clear here. Jon joined the Army when the ban against LGBTQ+ people was ruthlessly enforced. If his sexuality was ever exposed, he would have been dishonourably discharged, stripped of pension and rank, and literally stripped of medals. We forget how far we have come; the ban was only lifted in 2000. Prior to joining up, he was an actor and, he admits, an alcoholic, and his decisions were made when he was sober. He had a remarkable career for 19 years, and like a lot of veterans, he is modest about his achievements, though his pride still shines through.
The most striking thing, unsurprisingly, is the British sense of humour. Although homophonic language was normalised in the ranks, he recounts many tales with fondness and wry looks at the audience, and his persona is warm, honest and welcoming, with much relatability! A hidden gem of the Fringe.
