Comments from the audience members seated in front of me on the opening night of Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of Pressure summed it up perfectly: “The story is old, yet surprisingly unknown… but completely plausible.”
On stage until June 27, the play, written by David Haig and wonderfully directed by Ian Gilles, explores the extraordinary role weather played in determining the fate of the D‑Day invasion.
Set in the final days before the landings, more than one hundred and fifty thousand Allied troops stand ready to board ships. Their lives hinge on one impossible decision: should General Dwight D. Eisenhower proceed with the invasion or postpone it? Eisenhower is consumed by the forecasts, haunted by the memory of past disastrous landings—from WWII operations like Torch (1942), Husky (1943), and Dieppe (1942), to historic failures such as the Mongol invasions of Japan (1200s) and the Spanish Armada’s doomed attempt to conquer England (1588).
This is the crucible that gives the play its title: Pressure.
The lights rise on a large, elegant room with French doors opening onto a terrace, clearly not an American military base. The stage quickly fills with uniformed personnel, establishing the urgency of an Allied command centre somewhere in England. Off to the side, two women work the telephone switchboard with brisk efficiency. The set is beautifully realized, instantly transporting the audience to 1944. When I saw that the award‑winning team of Venetia Lawless and Lindsay Laviolette designed it, it all made sense.
We meet British meteorologist Captain James Stagg (Guy Newsham), brought in by Eisenhower to counterbalance the American forecasting team led by Colonel Irving Krick (Christian Giansante). Stagg is stiff, precise, and emotionally guarded — the polar opposite of Krick, who is loud, charismatic, and utterly confident in his methods. Their clashing personalities and conflicting forecasts create the central tension of the play.
General Eisenhower (Bryan Morris) is portrayed as both commanding and deeply human, fully aware that many of the 300,000 soldiers poised to invade by sea and air will not return. His desire to minimize casualties drives him every moment.
Lieutenant Kay Summersby (Carole Brown), Eisenhower’s assistant, brings warmth and emotional intelligence to the room. Practical, loyal, and quietly formidable, she becomes an essential ally to Stagg and a reminder of the human cost behind military strategy.
The 16‑member cast delivers strong performances across the board. Gilles’s choice to have actors enter and exit through the theatre aisles and doors expands the sense of scale, making the operation feel even larger and more chaotic.
The lighting and sound team also did a bang‑up job — helped, in no small part, by an actual storm raging outside. Had it not been for the driving rain as we left the theatre, audiences could easily have mistaken the thunder for their handiwork.
Douglas Cuff’s electrician provides welcome comic relief, while Jonathan Tooey’s General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz embodies the bombastic, results‑driven American mindset, a portrayal that feels eerily familiar in today’s geopolitical climate.
At its core, Pressure is about leadership, responsibility, and the courage to stand by your convictions. We know how history ends, but the play’s power lies in revealing the human stories behind the facts. One of the most striking moments comes when Stagg discovers a note dropped by Eisenhower — a prepared concession speech taking full responsibility for a failed invasion. It’s a sobering reminder of a time when leaders accepted accountability with dignity.
The opening night audience was on its feet in applause, clearly taken by the staging and the entertainment value of this “surprisingly unknown… but completely plausible” story.
Pressure runs at Ottawa Little Theatre until Saturday, June 27. Tickets are available online or by calling the box office at 613‑233‑8948.
Header image: Christian Giansante as Colonel Irving Krick and Guy Newsham as Captain James Stagg.
Photos: Courtesy OLT
