Soldiers of Tomorrow | Finborough Theatre

It is an hour of deep reflection and recollection for Itai Erdal, whose experiences as an IDF soldier working for Israel in Gaza are brought to the fore in this powerful, brief piece.

A collaboration between Erdal and playwright Colleen Murphy, Soldiers of Tomorrow takes its name from an offhand note passed from a teacher to Itai’s nephew as part of a task where schoolchildren were asked to send gifts to the ‘soldiers of today from the soldiers of tomorrow’. The longevity and the permanence of conflict in the Middle East is immediately brought to the fore by this small yet profound anecdote, yet what makes this production all the more stark is the raw authenticity of Itai’s stark recollections.

Over just seventy minutes, the production weaves through Itai’s childhood, his friends and their polarising ideologies and his life as a soldier. Flanked by Brian Ball’s gorgeous set design, a painted backdrop with the yellows, reds and blues, an abstract depiction of the region’s layout, Itai also covers the stage with small toy soldiers, a nod to his own small part in the IDF but also foreshadowing the children whose national service determines them to take arms. 

Yet, more than a quarter of a century on from leaving Israel for Canada, Itai’s rumination upon his time in the military is one of great poignancy and one that is clearly still underpinned by a sense of long-lasting trauma. Itai is motivated to prevent his nephew from following in his footsteps, an attempt which feels desperately futile, with the horror of war and active service being reduced to one brutal story between Itai, his fellow soldiers and a pleading grandmother, where human decency subsides in an arena of war.

Soldiers of Tomorrow drifts a little in focus, becoming a little too bogged down in Itai’s own political views and ideologies, which is a complicated blend that feels necessary but also slips almost into a state of lecturing,  tonally contradictory to the play’s other, more moving moments. 

Combined with Emad Armoush’s beautiful live music, however, it is when Itai burrows deeper into his experiences, creatively put together with toy soldiers, model figures, and Alan Brodie’s exceptional lighting, that the piece pulls you closer.

While it may only be an hour’s watch, for Itai Erdal, Soldiers of Tomorrow represents a lifetime of existence and reflection, the human cost of war for those who live it with, rather than those who perish. 

Soldiers of Tomorrow plays at the Finborough Theatre until 04th July 2026 - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Matt Reznek