Wow, a blast from the past, a three-acter, beginning, middle and end! One may think three hours including an interval and break too long, but I have sat through less than two-hour production which seemed longer. A brilliant story, brilliantly directed, adapted and designed, goes a long way to making the time just disappear.
It starts in modern day time where a young man, Jack Firebrace (Max Bowden of Eastenders), goes to northern France to find his grandfather’s grave. We are then transported back to before the First World War in France and meet his relative, Stephen Wraysford (James Esler), making a report about a factory. He stays with the owner, Rene Azaire (Sargon Yelda), and falls in love with his wife, Isabelle Azaire (Charlie Russell), meets her sister Jeanne (Natalie Radmall-Quirke) and the story begins. We are taken through the beginning of their affair, follow Wraysford through his experiences on the front and relationships he has with the men he fights with and commands, then the ensuing events.
Even if you have read the book, I will not spoil the story as hopefully you will get a chance to see it. I used the adjective brilliant and not loosely; the director, Alastair Whatley was first involved with this play in 2012 and intrigued when friend Rachel Wagstaff produced this adaption 12 years on. An adaption which combines the complex epic story of love, loss, relationships, anguish, horrors of the First World War and hope ‘brilliantly’.
This highlights the tragedy of war, but the beauty of strong relationships under extreme circumstances shines through, from a delicately, sensitively produced, loving sex scene to the horrors of the trenches and men facing death, even worse, on the front line. There is also humour—“the family were in the iron and steel business, she irons and he steals!”—all adding to a balanced production.
While Whatley uses the stage excellently, his collaboration with designer Richard Kent is evident, a collaboration which is often missing in some productions. Kent’s permanently fixed setting, with several sets of fences allowing various entrances and exits, is offset by a harsh, brick back. This basic set allows numerous locations to be simply set and struck, using the cast who seamlessly bring and remove furniture in the course of continuous action. The equally brilliant lighting (Jason Taylor) hugely adds to the different settings, particularly in the love scene, tunnel and underground ones.
One must also praise the entire cast of 13, playing 20 characters in all, displaying a wide range of emotions from one scene to the next effortlessly, with the added assistance of fight and intimacy directors Yarit Dor and Enric Ortuno. It was a shame some text was lost after the interval due to the softness of voice, such as in the reunion scene with Russell and Esler.
This production of Sebastian Faulks's novel celebrates the 30th anniversary of its publication, which has sold over three million copies to date; one can see why, as it is such a timeless story of humanity. One is instantly drawn into the characters' lives, feeling for them and their destiny. An absolute must for anyone who loves a great story brilliantly brought to life.