FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2026
The White Handkerchief
Photo courtesy of the Millennium Forum
Liam Campbell's The White Handkerchief is a prime and prominent example of performance as purity, human lives reflected in, retold through and revitalised as part of an enriching, energetic and eclectic theatrical masterwork. Kaleidoscopic in its characterisation, dynamically passionate and structured with exceptional intelligence, the production's translation of historical record into song, dance, acting and contextualised storytelling is genuinely and peerlessly poignant, to the point where we, the audience, feel at one with the experience, awash with emotion. Its return to the live stage at Derry-Londonderry's Millennium Forum, four years after its presentation as a Playhouse production in the city's Guildhall, is an unquestionable triumph for director Kieran Griffiths and the enormously gifted team – the fiery forcefulness of an already exemplary piece is both unexpected and unprecedented.
The recollections of William McKinney, marvellously played by Warren McCook, are at the centre of a tale which takes us back to "Bloody Sunday" - January 30, 1972. With the history already well known, the draw of The White Handkerchief is in what McKinney and everyone in his vicinity says and does in a multi-faceted quest for purposeful beliefs and heartfelt bonding when facing external oppression in a 1970s "Maiden City". In other words, its tone is entirely characterised by its characters' character, and there, the substance is plentiful.
Early in the play, children are seen to be blending familiar playground routines with pretending to be soldiers, and the contrast between the diversion in routines and cultural entrenchment already becomes devastatingly clear – a case of the temporarily escapable meeting the permanently inescapable. The children appear free and trapped at once, and this is equally plain later on when one notices the power of teenage dreams, immortalised in these parts by The Undertones, projecting a rawness and naivete at risk of exploitation either as an external distraction or an internal motivational tool in pursuit of singularly upsetting goals. Goals which can be bound into a fearful psychology, a means of unstinting commitment to a cause at the expense of everything and everyone else – including family. Taking a stand in a war zone when one isn't even sure of their identity and standing – and who is? – is a frightening move for some, but a bold move for others.
Photo courtesy of the Millennium Forum
This is the world of The White Handkerchief - where the seemingly contradictory is the complicated truth. Where harsh realities regularly land, but where there's also enough levity and musicality to remind us that there are moments to real treasure amidst despair. For from siege mentalities, flimsy though they may be, arise sparks of pleasure, intentional or otherwise, such as a rather tragicomic moment where Jonny Everett's William Nash doesn't seem to know if he's making people laugh or being laughed at. It is jocularity as a search for sanity, integral to a highly enjoyable musical number during a strong first act which functions as an engaging prelude to an utterly monumental second act.
With McCook's sterling presence supported by a hugely commendable ensemble featuring Sharon Duffy as William's partner Elizabeth, Barry Keenan as Father Edward Daly, Orla Mullan as Peggy Deery and too many more to mention, the play's power profoundly escalates as it moves forward. As well as a white handkerchief, there is a red coat, with each coloured garment signalling growth through peace, compassion and understanding – all three of which are apparent by the time Conor O'Kane's Father Tom O'Gara attempts to reassure a little girl through song. Both O'Kane and the audience are heard to be choking up as one singing voice is joined by another and that relatable fine line between fear and fortitude, the show of strength that adults in a community are expected to put on for young people during a crisis, is emphasised. And in other segments, this becomes something akin to defiance, such as an exhibition of Irish dancing near soldiers smartly spelling out class and cultural divisions, and Peggy stridently confronting a soldier in the form of a spectacular solo for Mullan.
Yet even all of this doesn't prepare the viewer for the hugely moving finale, a spoken and musical tribute to those who were lost, and those who survived only to carry the "constant companion" of trauma – those who will never be forgotten. It highlights and solidifies The White Handkerchief's significance as a magnificent, whole hearted depiction of timelessly affecting history for all ages at all times at all places – and undeniable must-see theatre.
Simon Fallaha
The White Handkerchief runs at Derry-Londonderry's Millennium Forum until Sunday February 1. For more information, and tickets, click here.