10:34am Thursday 28th January 2010
By Lucie Richards
Journey’s End
The Haymarket
Until January 30
THE first Haymarket play of 2010 is a must-see production of a moving story.
Tuesday’s opening night of World War One play Journey’s End was a slick and professional affair, well acted and sensitively staged.
Both halves begin with a symbolic lighting of a candle. A nice touch by director Alastair Whatley now that the last Great War veteran has passed away and remembrance is more vital than ever.
The play is entirely set in a claustrophobic dugout – enclosed by barbed wire and with the occasional rumble of guns in the background – and it revolves around officers on a six-day stint on the front, waiting for a German attack.
The various characters are carefully carved out. They each deal with the strains of the trenches in their own way and are adeptly brought to life by the cast.
Captain Stanhope is forced to realise how the war has changed him on the arrival of bright-eyed Raleigh, who thinks it is “topping” to be serving under his childhood hero.
Christopher Harper (pictured) skilfully portrays Stanhope’s fluctuating states of mind, from authoritative leader to a merry and a depressive drunkard.
Knight Mantell, as the Colonel, and Graham Seed, as the instantly likeable Osborne, bring vast acting experience to their roles and Hibbert, played by Rhys King, is terrified and desperate to get himself away from the front.
One wonderfully understated character is Mason, the cook whose deadpan comments are a source of relief throughout the piece, and who is played with great comic timing by Adam Best.
Mason’s verbal sparring with Trotter (Gareth Davies) is a joy to watch and it is a touching moment when the cook obediently joins his men as the attack is upon them.
Where the first half builds up the characters through banal banter, the second is punctuated with climaxes as tension grows and nerves are increasingly frayed. A tense counting down of the minutes before a raid is particularly well staged.
The set, haunting sound and lighting are perfectly judged for effect without taking away from the actors in this character-driven play.
Even though the first performance of Journey’s End, written by RC Sherriff based on his own experiences, was staged just 10 years after the end of the war, it is still a powerful play in 2010.
A great way to begin the year at The Haymarket.
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