Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
R.C. Sherriff’s Journey’s End, Elinor Groom’s directorial debut, is the story of a company of British officers waiting for a big German attack in the trenches of San Quentin in France towards the end of the First World War. Company commander, Captain Dennis Stanhope (Sam Hinton), has a reputation as an alcoholic; the only way he can face the trenches is if he’s constantly ‘doped on whisky’. Lt. Osborne (Ollie Jones), or ‘Uncle’, has the onerous task of putting him to bed every night.
Unexpectedly, Stanhope’s friend from school, Jimmy Raleigh (Tom Powis), finds himself in Stanhope’s company. The keen, yet somewhat naïve, boy wonder puts Stanhope under even more pressure. He is terrified that Raleigh’s illusions of him will be shattered, and that the boy who idolised him at school will write to his sister Madge (Stanhope’s girlfriend), telling her of Stanhope’s alcoholism. As a company commander, Stanhope has an image to uphold, and the pressure, increased by Raleigh’s arrival, is at times too much for him to handle, resulting in a few brilliantly acted, emotionally charged outbursts.
Far from being a glorifying tale of heroic feats of war and Saving Private Ryan-esque comradeship, Journey’s End tells the story of the humanity of the war and everyday life in the trenches; the boredom, the isolation, the waiting. Most importantly, through the character of Stanhope, it shows, subtly yet profoundly, the negative psychological effects of war. There is no monologue in this play, so the only insight into the characters we get is through their conversations with each other. Tight dialogue is essentially substantiates this play, and the actors completely embody their characters. The tension is intermittently broken by the comic entrances of Mason, the cook (George Critchley), and the blissfully oblivious Lt. Trotter (Stevie Ratcliff), who manages to keep the officers’ spirits up, despite Stanhope’s obsessive brooding.
In a play packed with dialogue, the acting was truly superb, and the characters totally convincing. The set looked brilliant; the Drama Barn was decked out in mud, and with a full house one really got the effect of a small, cramped, windowless dug-out in the middle of nowhere. This play is not a comedy, but neither is it depressing. Although it ends on a poignant note, with Stanhope suffering the losses of both Osborne and Raleigh, one doesn’t leave the play feeling lost and empty. I’ve seen this play several times, and have slept soundly after every performance; each time it just gets better.
