Private Peaceful & Unicorns Almost

I have to admit I was a little worried that I would not be comfortable seeing theses two productions after reading the original advertising, I thought I would find them emotional and very depressing. However, the production was not at all what I expected, yes they were very emotional but not at all depressing. We were treated to two wonderful one person plays which were brilliantly acted by two talented actors. Not only did they always keep the audience’s attention, but their dialogue was reverting, very educational, revealing and even occasionally uplifting

The first production was called “Private Peaceful”adapted for the stage by Simon Reade from a story written by Michael Morpurgo. The story is told from the perspective of Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, a young soldier serving in the army during the 1914-1918 War (The Great War). It is night and Tommo cannot sleep, but this is no ordinary night, he is waiting for the dawn as tragically he has been sentenced to death by a firing squad after being found guilty of perceived cowardice during a sham Court Marshall. He uses his last hours to look back on his life as a child spent in the English countryside at the turn of the twentieth century. First time Director Alan Levesley found a real gem in Katie Potter to play Tommo, her acting skills were brilliant, she brought to life vividly the story of Tommo’s life as a young boy, it was so real, you could picture him running through the fields and swimming with his brother Charlie and friend Molly. We felt the wonder when the three of them were the first people in their village to see an aeroplane. You could also picture the young teenager who enthusiastically joined the army along with his brother Charlie to fight for his country at the age of fifteen, lying about his age as many soldiers did during this war. The horrors of war were brought to life as we were told about Tommo’s life and experiences in the trenches and we heard about the injustice of what the dawn would bring which would end his young life.  Katie kept the audience in the palm of her hand at all times, I felt I was living through the night with Tommo as Katie’s performance was so real and spellbinding, at times even uplifting but also very poignant and deeply tragic, the standing ovation at the end of the performance was well deserved.

I have heard stories about young soldiers who were unjustly executed during the The Great War, due to unfortunate circumstances, situations beyond their control and some were suffering from shell shock However in 2006, 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers who, like the character of Tommo were executed for various offences that included cowardice, desertion, insubordination, and sleeping at their posts, were posthumously pardoned. 

The set was minimalist with just a metal framed bed on stage which was used in various guises as a tool to tell the story. The atmosphere was enhanced by lighting and sound effects and thought must have gone into getting Katie’s costume historically correct and realistic.

The second production of the evening was “Unicorns, Almost”  directed by the talented Jack Vardy and Jacob L Prince. Jack also managed to perform this one man play centred around the life of Keith Douglas one of the few poets writing during the Second World War. The play was written by Owen Sheers with information drawn from Douglas’s memoir  “Alamein to Zem Zem” which he illustrated himself, the play is a poignant portrait of a tormented war poet. The action opened with a short film from the Second World War and the plot follows Douglas’s life from early childhood until his death at the young age of 24, three days after the D-Day landings in Normandy. Douglas was a tank commander with the eighth Army fighting in the Western deserts during the North Africa campaign as they advance through North Africa after the battle of El Alamein which can be read about in his memoir. In Jack’s outstanding impassioned performance, which kept the audiences attention from beginning to end, the main theme of the story is to tell us about the horrors of war and to highlight what is at stake as well as what can be lost. He challenges the way we think about love, life, death, war and remembrance. He tells us about seeing the bodies of his enemies, and about the friends who have died and what it felt like seeing their shattered bodies, he quotes from his poetry to accentuate his story and make it more disturbing and real. His poems were printed six years after his death, but unfortunately nobody wanted war poetry at that time. However about a decade after publication, poet Ted Hughes championed Douglas’s poetry and his Collected Works were reissued in the 1980’s. I have to say I found this play interesting on a personal level as my father was a tank commander in the eight Army during the North Africa campaign.

The set was simple with a desk writing equipment typewriter chair and a screen on the back wall for showing the opening film. Once again lighting and sound were very important to the success of the production and Jacks costume added to the authenticity.

The Technical input for both plays was by Paul Carr and played an important role in the success of these plays and the excellent costumes were organised by Rebecca Dickinson and Jack Vardy helping to bring realism to the productions. Well done to all crew and everyone involved in bringing these outstanding thought provoking one person plays to the stage. Long May they be performed as I believe it is imperative that these two stories should be heard by new generations so that people understand the truth about war and the effects, implications and sacrifices of those involved.

Thank you so much for inviting me. Congratulation to the two actors, directors and to everyone involved.

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