Composers

Synopsis:
Music by Stuart MacRae
Libretto by Louise Welsh

Britain is at war in a distant land. There are no bombs or armed combat in our streets, but images of the conflict and its victims dominate TV news reports, men in uniform are an everyday sight and a general air of militarism has infected the nation.

Ex-army comrades Sam and Alasdair are unexpectedly reunited after three years separation. Their meeting reignites a bond forged from danger, privation and a shared secret, which if revealed, could expose both of them to disgrace and prosecution. The need to keep their secret pulls the men together, but their differing responses to the shame of it threatens to pull them apart. Jealousy over Vicki, Alasdair’s girlfriend with whom Sam shares a mutual attraction, also jeopardizes the men’s equanimity.

Sam is flesh and blood, but he’s also a ghost from the past who upsets the balance of Alasdair and Vicki’s lives. The consequences are deadly.

MacRae’s impassioned and atmospheric score brings to life these fractured and all too real people as they try - and fail - to escape the past.

Dramatis Personae:

Sam (tenor) An ex-army sergeant in his thirties, who has fallen on hard times

Alasdair (baritone) An ex-army captain in his thirties; proprietor of the pub where the action takes place; Vicki’s boyfriend

Vicki (soprano) An aspiring singer in her late twenties or early thirties; Alasdair’s girlfriend