Caitlin Barnett’s choreography throughout is exceptional. Not merely excellent in terms of dance content, but in terms of incorporating the themes from Bobby Sands’ writing and indeed advancing the work’s socio-political impact. Barnett goes on the list of choreographers along with the likes of Drew McOnie and Matthew Bourne, whose every new work is automatically a must-see.
Dancers Dakarayi Mashava, Miles Kearley and Richard Pye work tirelessly to deliver a thrilling portrayal of the brutality of oppression but special commendation must go to Sean Moss in the pivotal role as Bobby Sands. The strength and fluidity of his movement is mesmerising and at times seemingly gravity-defying.
You might think a contemporary dance piece based on the brutality and inhumanity of the 1981 hunger strike and the writings of Bobby Sands sounds like a grim night. While Comrades never recoils from the horrors and viciousness, it somehow finds and celebrates the strength of individual resistance and the beauty of life. The audience, both young and old, (and this reviewer) gave this incredible and life-affirming work a deserved standing ovation on its opening night.