Journey's End

The setting was a dug-out in the trenches before St Quentin, March 1918. The stage was perfect for the set as it’s not too big or high which allowed the design and construction to fit perfectly. The back of the stage had a wall of sand bags with a gap that allowed the men to climb out of the trench with the assistance of steps. There were two unseen rooms off right and left; one was an additional bedroom and the other was the mess where the Batman Mason, prepared the Officers their meals. The set was just as much a star of this production as the cast themselves. The dimensions were perfect, and I could feel the claustrophobia that the men must have felt, living in a rat infested, wet, muddy, cold and desolate place.

The play is in three parts and covers four crucial days leading to fateful consequences of a handful of soldiers. We were given an incredible and emotional glimpse into the way that soldiers lived or rather survived the cruelty of this terrible war, where decisions were made that had no justification or consideration for the inhumane and inevitable outcomes that were obvious, especially to the men who were being used as ‘cannon fodder’.

The utter class distinction between the rank and file and the Officers was incredible. The Officers were mere boys, whose privileged upbringing had meant they were shipped off for Officer training, whether they were suited to this role or not. And they were boys; boys who had no world experience to underpin the decisions that they were expected to make.

This was portrayed by Oli Cowlishaw as Hibbert, an Officer who was starving himself due to neuralgia in his face, which he said was giving him great pain. This condition was refuted by the commanding officer Stanhope, who knew that Hibbert was simply scared and wanted to go home. The confrontation between them was quite harrowing; Matthew Jeffrey as Captain Stanhope was brilliantly cruel to get Hibbert to acknowledge his fears. Fears that he himself shared but hid by drinking a bottle of whisky a day, saying he would prefer alcohol over sickness, just so that he could summon up the courage to do his duty.

The arrival of an old school friend of Stanhope’s, Raleigh played by John Broad, who had hero worshipped his friend for years, brought things to a head for Stanhope and Matthew Jeffrey was excellent as the tormented friend who didn’t want his chum to go the way of many others. John Broad epitomised the youth and naivety of those young men sent to the front.

Excellent supporting roles from Alan Humphries as Trotter, Rich Pedley as Mason, Chris Broad as Hardy, Alex Stallard as Broughton, James Cowlishaw as the Colonel, Tam Weir as Company Sergeant Major and Chris Gaunt as a German Solider.

However, the performance from Keith Thompson who played Osborne was outstanding. Osborne was known as Uncle to the young officers, due to his maturity and experience. This was a man that you really wanted with you in this atrocious and shocking place, Keith Thompson was perfect in this role, his relaxed and laid-back style made you feel comfortable. It was as if he was sitting in his living room not the depths of Hell. He was the voice of reason, the arbiter, the friend, the person who wrapped you up and tucked you into bed. He was also the wisest and knew that when he was being sent over the top, he wouldn’t come back. His farewell to Stanhope was so moving.

No detail was omitted from this production to give a true insight of how these men lived: the smoking of the officers, the lighting of the candles, the three-course meal that the officers were being served, however meagre, whilst the troops were eating bread and cheese. A point that was well made by Raleigh who refused to sit down to a celebratory meal with his fellow officers but ate with the men instead. The fuss that was made because Mason had forgotten to bring any pepper with him and the way that each of them said goodbye with the adage Cheer ‘o’.

The lighting and sound effects were perfect, and the finale raised a unanimous gasp from the audience when the roof collapsed as the trench took a fateful strike.

This brilliantly directed play put us, the audience, in that trench with those boys/men; we felt the anguish and despair that those on stage portrayed so convincingly, we wanted Hibbert to be sent home so that he wouldn’t be scared anymore. We wanted Stanhope to disobey the order that meant he was sending Uncle and Raleigh to their likely death. But that was the reality of war, and what we saw was a true reflection of men doing their duty.

The silence in the theatre was palpable as Robert Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ was heard and the poppies fell. It was so moving that we were stunned into a mutual emotional vacuum that took minutes for us to come out of. Never have I watched such an emotive production, and it’s with complete credit to the performances of everyone who made it real.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.