A cynical tribute in verse

By JAMES MORRISON

Maverick writer-director Steven Berkoff has revealed details of his September 11-inspired, 100-stanza poem, Requiem for Ground Zero, which he will premiere this week at the Edinburgh Fringe. Berkoff said reverence towards firefighters in the wake of the terrorist attacks had bordered on idolatry.

"In America, it's so lachrymose, so it might be good to have a cynical, acerbic voice out there. I saw it myself when I was in New York. I saw people on their knees. You see a firefighter and they're saying, 'How do you feel about it? Were you there then? Oh gosh'!"

Despite his characteristically questioning attitude, Berkoff has imbued his new poem, written in iambic pentameter, with considerable sincerity.

"I don't really have a take on September 11 as such. It's a reflection on the event, and a kind of memorial. I'm not taking a political stance - I'm just trying to reflect the rage, the outrage and the mob cries afterwards of 'revenge, revenge'."

His comments reflect a growing unease about overly reverential works of art, film and theatre as the first anniversary of September 11 approaches.

Though well known for their left-wing politics and outspoken views on US foreign policy, Hollywood actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon are being accused of sentimentalising the plight of firefighters in the wake of the attacks.

The Guys, the play by Anne Nelson in which the couple will star for three nights at the Fringe, has been dismissed as little more than "hero worship" by one of America's fastest rising stars, cult comedian Doug Stanhope.

In one of a series of rants on the subject, Stanhope, who is heading for the Fringe with a one-man show, said the rescue teams "knew what they were getting into".

In a lengthy statement on his website, he writes: "A guy walking down the street on his way to his job lumping boxes passes a burning building and, on knee-jerk reaction, runs in and saves your baby or your goldfish - that guy is a hero. A guy who trains and tests for years and busts his balls so that one day he may have the opportunity to run into a house fire is plain nuts.

"One of my best friends is a fireman. When he didn't pass the physical portion of the test on his first try, he was devastated to the point of tears, and it wasn't because people were on fire and he was helpless to do anything about it. He, like other firemen, wanted the job, craved the excitement and prestige and needs the thrill-seeking in his life ... "

Berkoff said: "I think it's very good what he's doing. It's good having an antidote."

His desire to perform on the Fringe for the first time in three years came as a welcome relief to Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms, which found itself struggling to plug a gaping hole in its programme after US satirist Michael Moore had to pull out.


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