Ottawa Little Theatre's Pressure examines the weather call that changed D-Day
A new production tells the true story of meteorologist James Stagg and the decision that could have devastated Operation Overlord, running through June 27.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ottawa Little Theatre's production of Pressure, directed by Ian Gillies from a script by David Haig, tells the story of a single decision that altered the course of history: whether the weather would allow Operation Overlord—the D-Day invasion—to proceed.
In June 1944, in a manor house in Portsmouth, England, Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower and his team were planning the massive invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The plan hinged on what seemed a simple point: what would the weather be on June 5? Enter Dr. James Stagg, a Scottish meteorologist who had to convince Eisenhower that an unprecedented storm could devastate the English Channel and cost hundreds of thousands of lives—but it was only a prediction.
Guy Newsham plays Stagg with nuance and feeling, portraying the character as at once insufferable and deeply sympathetic. "Newsham slowly and brilliantly exposed the character's subtle heart to reveal a deeply sympathetic man," according to the production's review. Carole Brown plays Lieutenant Kay Summersby, Eisenhower's secretary, chauffeur, mechanic, and confidante. With oil-stained hands and a no-nonsense attitude, Brown's Summersby advocates unerringly for what's right while revealing a gentleness strikingly at odds with the blustering men around her.
The production uses the theatre's sides and aisles to create frenetic energy, enhanced by lighting and sound that takes up space beyond the stage's boundaries. The tension feels palpable.
Pressure plays at the Ottawa Little Theatre until June 27, Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. The show runs 150 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. Tickets are available online.