Could you meet the man who killed your father? The Bomb tells the story of two extraordinary characters: one who killed in the name of justice, the other who refused to be a victim for ever. This stage version not only contains the play script but also an interview with the two main characters showing how they became involved in The Forgiveness Project sixteen years after the bombing. The play itself is a bold and imaginative stage version, raising crucial issues for our time.

Review In a world where terrorism is a daily news event The Bomb should be in every secondary school classroom to read aloud, act and discuss. Jo Berry’s father was killed in the IRA Brighton bombing during the 1984 Tory Party conference. In 2000 she met his murderer, Pat McGee a former IRA activist. Kevin Dyer tells their story in an emotionally powerful play.

A mother, cancels a holiday with her teenage daughter to meet the man who has done something terrible to her. He, in turn, has to confront her with his version of the event. Each character has to step into the shoes of the others; the bomber has to try to understand the victim, she has to try to understand his perspective. Her daughter begins to understand why her mother seems to live in the past. The drama is fast moving, shifting from one setting to another: in the past; in the present; seen from each character’s perspective. We see the mother today, we see her in her teens when the bomb kills her father. We see the bomber planting the bomb in the hotel bedroom, we hear his thoughts. Twenty years later, we see them face-to-face, we hear the bomber's justification, hear the mother's accusations. Numerous flashbacks show the bomber setting his trap, the daughter visiting the booby-trapped hotel room the night before her father dies. We experience the horror of the explosion.

 In an introductory interview Dyer stresses that there is no message about blame or forgiveness; the audience can explore dangerous things safely and draw their own conclusions. As the political and the personal come together, we can see the confusion and chaos inside particular characters’ minds. Acting, reading and discussing this play should be a challenging experience. The play asks what we would die for? What we would kill for?

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2008-08-05