Deep Cut

Private Cheryl James died from a gunshot wound to the head at the Deepcut Army Barracks in 1995, six months after joining the army. This harrowing verbatim account attempts to depict the circumstances surrounding her death, one of four gunshot deaths at the barracks between 1995 and 2002.

Philip Ralph, backed by Sherman Cymru, has delved as deeply as possible into the case, interviewing relevant parties and unravelling the tortuous paper trail deliberately laid to obstruct coverage of all the facts. The production asserts that all institutions involved, from the military to the police to the judiciary and the government, have been determined to find a verdict of suicide recorded in each instance, despite evidence to the contrary.

Ciaran McIntyre and Rhian Morgan as Cheryl’s parents Des and Doreen sit at the emotional centre, relating their heart-rending testimony with finely nuanced performances. Their natural delivery deserves commendation, making the enacted testimony sound fresh and first-hand.

There is a deceptively domestic quality to the staging, set as it is in the James’ living room, all floral sofas and cups of tea. Into this cosy environment tramps a succession of characters – a fellow soldier (Rhian Blythe), a penitent journalist (Brian Cathcart), Simon Molloy’s Nicholas Blake QC and forensic expert Frank Swann, played by Robert Blythe – representing the permanent disruption of their life subsequent to their daughter’s death.

The photographs of the dead soldiers are obviously heart wrenching, each looking fresh-faced and proud in his or her uniform. But the power of this piece is its shift from the personal to the political, becoming more than an ominous tragedy to a matter of grave democratic concern. The true independence of institutions such as the IPCC is thrown into question, the impartiality of the justice system doubted, the insistent secrecy of the military condemned and the sly manoeuvring of the government uncovered. It is a damning portrait of the tragedies, the protracted aftermath and the public’s apparent indifference to these sinister machinations.