Pressure

by David Haig

An intense real-life thriller centred around the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare.

June 1944. One man’s decision is about to change the course of history.

Everything is in place for the biggest invasion ever known in Europe – D-Day. One last crucial question remains: will the weather be right on the day?

Problematically there are two opposing forecasts. American celebrity weatherman Colonel Krick predicts sunshine, while Scot Dr James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Officer for the Allied Forces, forecasts a storm. As the world watches and waits, General Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, must decide which of these bitter antagonists to trust. The decision will not only seal the fates of thousands of men, but could win or lose the entire war.

An extraordinary and little-known true story, David Haig's play thrillingly explores the responsibilities of leadership, the challenges of prophecy and the personal toll of taking a stand.

Pressure premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in May 2014 before transferring to Chichester Festival Theatre, in a production directed by John Dove, with the author playing James Stagg.

Genres: Plays

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 12, 2014

Reviews

[Jo Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the pre-release materials for the IGCSE drama exams this year and when I saw it I thought it might be a bit dry for teenagers, but actually David Haig makes it a very personal and human look at a well aired piece of history. It appeals to the British psyche with its obsession with the weather but there is more to it than war and weather. It has sensitive characterisation with a nice cameo of the electrician making this an interesting social portrait as well as a documentary.

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intense drama about meteorology: what more could you want? Rival British and American weather forecasters battle over whether to delay D-Day from 5 June 1944 to the 6th, seeking to persuade Isenhower to go with their preferred date. Of course it's more about personal relationships than isobars and needs a bit more edge, but it's a good play.

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a while to get through this due to life getting in the way (and my birthday) but it's utterly brilliant. Who'd have thought there'd be so much suspense from the weather forecast? The plot follows two weathermen as they bicker over whether or not to go ahead with the D-Day landings on the proposed day. One thinks the weather will be calm, the other thinks there will be a storm. It's engaging, involving and just brilliant writing. A tad long perhaps but the characters are so well written, you don't really mind.