When I went to see Morale Is High (Since We Gave Up Hope) on Wednesday in Northern Stage, that was maybe my seventh time seeing this show. However, it was my first time seeing it at a venue other than Summerhall at the Edinburgh Fringe.
It was extremely interesting to me to see how the theatre company Powder Keg was handling their UK tour and how the show has changed since the Fringe. I can gladly say I couldn’t be happier to see that they are just as entertaining and engaging. They have managed to maintain the same dynamic energy on stage even after performing the play so many times.
The play addresses a lot of important issues like Brexit, the elections, and life as a member of the working class
Morale is High, even though politically oriented, is not only about politics. The story follows Ross McCaffrey’s adventures into the future. His friend Jake has a lot of questions about what the world is like in the future that Ross visited and we, the audience, are more than enthusiastic to hear all about it.
The play addresses a lot of important issues like Brexit, the elections, and life as a member of the working class. It also involves live gig music performed by the two men which gives the play even more energy and I, for one, have had these songs stuck in my head since the end of summer.
Morale is High finds a way to perfectly balance comedy and drama and gives the audience something extremely real to relate to. Most of all, the play is about the way we – as humans – cope with the difficulties of life.
When Jake confronts Ross about the fact that during his story he fails to address a lot of world problems and keeps the focus on his own experiences, Ross simply explains that expressing himself via this platform is his own way of dealing with reality.