Having previously brought the stories of Lyudmila Pavlichenko (I,Sniper) and Valentina Tereshkova (Chaika: First Woman in Space), it feels rather like a natural extension of this theme for them to dig deeper into Russian history to bring into focus the complicated story of the Napoleonic era Russian cavalry officer and writer, born as Nadezhda Durova.
To do so is itself a difficult task, as historians and sociologists to this day still debate the proper way to name the person who would later be identified as Alexander ‘Sasha’ Durova and later Alexander Andreevich Alexandrov, at a time when gender politics and identity weren’t even conceptualised, let alone understood.
Taking this complexity and running with it, Acting Coach Scotland has build an ensemble of four very physically different actors, a pair presenting as male, and another presenting as female, who each take turns speaking as Durova as they wend their way through a military career in the secret guise of a boy, then later a young man.
It’s a captivating and constantly evolving performance. Making great use of the capable cast, who lend themselves physically and vocally to the constant contradictions of Durova’s life, and their spectacularly bizarre career path through the Russian armies, it does find itself lacking punch at times, and suffers the problem of all biographical pieces in that life isn’t always satisfyingly theatrical. Yet it's further proof of a company that is solidly dependable in bringing true-life stories to the stage with care, courtesy, and charisma.