THE waste. The sheer, mind-numbing, senseless, stupid waste of life leaves the audience shocked by this evocation of life and death in the Great War.
RC Sherriff's 1929 play is enjoying a major revival in London and on tour thanks to this dignified and moving production.
The trench set is superbly dark and claustrophobic without being a distraction and performances are universally first rate.
In particular, Tom Wisdom gives an unearthly portrayal of Captain Stanhope, who is becoming one of the great figures of British literature. Stanhope, the true-Brit public school, rugger-captain hero, is an insomniac young man on the edge of sanity, who finds solace only in the whisky bottle. But his frailty is an important part of his humanity and makes us admire him all the more.
In an age when war can seem like a computer game and as we remember the sacrifice which ended 60 years ago, this is a timely reminder of the human cost of war. The play runs until Saturday. Box office: 01242 572573. Review by Steve Evans
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