‘No one’s in charge so there’s no one to blame.’ Brigadier Michaela Cain
Whatever Australia does as a society, drama has a duty to explore on stage. How else do we get beyond the shallows of media reportage to deeper awareness of the human cost involved? How else do we encounter the world, not just ‘stay informed’ about it?
Johnston is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Army and an intelligence officer. Seen though his eyes, the Afghan deployment had a warped logic to it that turned good intentions into ironic outcomes every time. Combat Outpost Mirage, the soldiers’ home, is an island of bewilderment in a sea of confusion. When in the second act, the whole platoon (and an Afghani warlord) burst into a musical number, complete with Broadway tap sequence, we get an insight into the razzle of a high-profile visit to a warzone even the most embedded journalist could not provide. War sometimes feels like a song and dance. What better way to communicate this reality than in song and dance?
