The Theatre of Steven Berkoff and Sink the Belgrano!

Abstract: Steven Berkoff is one of the living legends of British theatre. He has spent most of his adult life on stage. He has written, directed and acted in numerous plays. He has also appeared in many well-known movies, such as A Clockwork Orange (1971), Rambo (1985) and Underworld (1985). In spite of his multifaceted international career, little scholarly research has been conducted on Steven Berkoff’s art. The aim of this paper is to outline the key characteristics of Berkoff’s conception of theatre, usually referred to as Berkovian aesthetic, and present a political reading of his celebrated play, Sink the Belgrano! (1986). The play deals with The Falklands War between England and Argentina, particularly focusing on the events that led to the sinking of the Argentinian Navy light cruiser The General Belgrano by the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror. The play also reflects Berkoff’s tendency to bring together various experimental dramatic techniques. The present paper firstly highlights the key characteristics of Bekovian aesthetic and then presents a comprehensive analysis of Sink the Belgrano! as one of Berkoff’s quintessential plays.