The World War 1 trenches, we have always been told, were hell.
This view is upheld by R.C. Sherriff's Journey's End, set in France in 1918 and one of the most important plays, ever, about war and what it does to people.
At the Globe the detailed and highly realistic set, designed by Brian Beresford, who also directs this fine production, immediately tells us a lot. We don't, mercifully, see the rats or feel the fleas, but the cramped space of a British officers' dugout and the impossibility of any sort of comfort contribute to ever-present, almost palpable tensions.
So do the eerie quiet and the endless-seeming waiting for something that, when it comes, is certain to be far worse than the waiting. The characters come from a variety of social backgrounds and demonstrate different ways of coping with war, usually involving wry trench humour, strategies for denying or minimising what is happening around them, and, of course, alcohol.
Apart from a few minor flubs, the 11-strong male cast performed commendably, with good rapport and excellent use of the constricted space.
Particularly effective performances come from Matthew Scadden as Captain Stanhope - young, brilliant and, much of the time, sozzled - and Andrew Brinsley-Pirie as Second Lieutenant Raleigh, even younger and new enough to army life to retain enthusiastic public-school attitudes. These two characters have a different relationship in civilian life, and this relationship adds to the dramatic interest.
Written in 1928, this play still packs a powerful punch. It's long and harrowing, not overtly antiwar but provides much for the audience to think about. The mood of the audience leaving the theatre on Thursday night was sombre, to say the least.
Journey's End is the first production in an ambitious and promising season, so do keep your eye on the Globe.
- Barbara Frame.
Journey's End
Globe Theatre
Thursday, February 20
