Exposing the conflict within (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Exposing the conflict within

8:36am Thursday 20th October 2005 in

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JOURNEY'S END
New Ambassadors Theatre
Naomi Wright

Over the last 80 years the futility of the First World War has been widely documented. We know about the great loss of lives, poor decisions made by aging military leaders and the terrible conditions of living in the trenches.

And we know about the psychological trauma soldiers faced just trying to live day to day during the war.

But the humanity of the men and their personal battles for survival often get lost in the brutality of the Great War.

This is where Journey's End, powerfully written in 1929 by R C Sherriff, personalises the horror of the war and the demons each soldier faced.

It is set in March 1918 in a British-held trench during the three days before the most intensive German offensive.

The intimate setting of the play means the audience feels like it is sharing the rotting dugout with the men as they wait for their next orders.

Directed by David Grindley and beautifully acted by the cast, it tells the story of a group of frightened officers struggling to carry out their duties as they fight against their nervousness, drink alcohol for courage and despair at the incompetence of their superiors.

A young fresh faced and enthusiastic 2nd Lieutenant Raleigh, played by Tom Payne, joins a platoon commanded by his schoolboy hero Captain Stanhope, and is ready to take on the "Boche."

But Captain Stanhope, brilliantly portrayed by Ben Righton, is no longer the boyhood friend Raleigh once knew.

Three years of trench warfare have left him an alcoholic at war with himself. Peace in the dugout is kept by the stoic Lieutenant Osborne, movingly played by Michael Siberry, as the young Captain Stanhope hits the bottle as he tried to cope with the heavy burden of his responsibilities.

The effects of the war can also been seen in the character of 2nd Lieutenant Hibbert. His shaky manner and blind panic at the thought of going over the top and attempts to get sent home sick shows what the monotonous hell of the trenches turned men into.

There is some comic relief provided by 2nd Lieutenant Trotter, who has risen through the ranks, and their orderly Private Mason, but it at no point undermines the message of the play that even in the futile position these men find themselves, their comradeship and unwavering belief in the cause does not change.

But nothing can protect them from the inevitability of war and as the end approaches, the bombs keep falling.

• Journey's End runs at the New Ambassadors Theatre in West St, WC2 until January 07.
  
  

The nearest Tube is Leicester Square. Tickets are priced from £22.50 to £37.50. Telephone 0870 060 6627.