THEGAYUK

Tag: Four Star Play Review

The latest Four Star Play Review from THEGAYUK.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Sandel, Above The Stags, London

    ★★★★ | Sandel, Above The Stag, London

    First published in 1968, Angus Stewart’s novel, Sandel, about the love affair between a 13-year-old choirboy, Anthony Sandel and a 19-year-old undergraduate, David Rogers, was out of print for 40 years, its subject matter considered somehow more shocking in today’s world than it was in 1968. Throughout that time it had become something of a cult classic, until production of this stage adaptation by Glenn Chandler at the Edinburgh Festival precipitated its re-publication last year.

    Maybe, it was deemed less shocking in those seemingly more innocent years. Indeed romantic attachments between young boys at public schools and at university were almost considered the norm. In Brideshead Revisited, Lord Marchmain’s Italian mistress Carla engages Charles Ryder in conversation when he and Sebastian are in Venice.

    “I think you are very fond of Sebastian,” she said.
    “Why, certainly.”
    “I know of these romantic friendships of the English and the Germans. They are not Latin. I think they are very good if they do not go on too long.”

    Presumably more acceptable back then, though of course Charles and Sebastian were of the same age (late teens). That said, frequently younger boys would form attachments to older boys at public school, and the age gap between Tony and David (6 years) is really not very much. When David takes Tony shopping for clothes, he poses as his elder brother, but one wonders whether the sales assistant, like most people at that time just turned a blind eye, assuming, like Carla, that this was just boys going through a phase they would grow out of.

    Reading the novel through twenty-first-century eyes, I confess to finding the relationship a little disturbing, and, if various reviews on Goodreads are anything to go by, I am not the only one. That I found it much less disturbing At the Stag is down to the excellent adaptation by Glenn Chandler, who also directs a brilliantly paced and pitched production, and to the superb performances of young Ashley Cousins as Tony and Joseph Lindoe as David. We see both the maturity of the boy Tony and the immaturity of the man David, which makes the attraction altogether more understandable, not to mention palatable. It was a master stroke to cast Tony with a young actor (Cousins) who is only a couple of years older than the character he is playing. He does so with a knowing innocence, for it is Tony who makes all the running, Tony who seduces David. It is an extraordinarily mature performance from a young actor. Lindoe is equally convincing as David, at that awkward stage between adolescent and adult. Expected to be the adult in the relationship, he nevertheless displays a touching naivety. The chemistry and connection between the two actors was absolutely convincing.

    The third character in the play is David’s best friend Bruce Lang, unrequitedly and secretly in love with David, who deals with his feelings by studying to become a Roman Catholic priest. His function is to act as David’s conscience, and, blessed with a sardonic, somewhat Wildean wit, he gets many of the best lines, ably delivered here by Calum Fleming, repeating his performance from the Edinburgh Fringe production.

    If you like to be challenged, then you should make it post haste down to Vauxhall for this superb production, which runs at Above The Stag until June 14th

  • THEATRE REVIEW | On Tidy Endings / Safe Sex, Tristan Bates Theatre

    ★★★★ | On Tidy Endings / Safe Sex, Tristan Bates Theatre

    Whose loss is it anyway? That’s the bone of contention between a gay man and a straight woman who meet to straighten up loose ends following the death of the man they both loved.

    The UK premiere of Harvey Fierstein’s one-act, On Tidy Endings, is a sometimes fiercely funny and finally poignant study of how the universal situation of losing a loved one takes on unique new qualities in the context of AIDS.

    Another short from Fierstein’s Safe Sex Trilogy, Safe Sex explores a relationship under strain in the early part of the AIDS crisis, with comic effect.

    Starring Deena Payne (Emmerdale, Calendar Girls) and CJ de Mooi (Eggheads), On Tidy Endings is a witty and well-written play which is a strong vehicle for Fierstein’s unique brand of irreverent humour with the killer one-liners and feistiness you’d expect from his work. It’s a cunning play, luring the viewer in with gentle humour and mild pathos, only to deliver some discretely timed knockout punches. Safer Sex is a more whimsical piece but still has merit and is entertaining, if slightly absurd in places. Anyone familiar with Torch Song Trilogy will see shades of Arnold in both Ghee, the over dramatic and neurotic partner and Arthur, the bereaved gay lover of Collin.

    Anyone who might be home at teatime may be familiar with C J de Mooi (a self-invented name, apparently meaning beautiful one!), the slightly pompous and prissy seeming figure, famous for a dramatic outburst on The Weakest Link and as quiz expert on Eggheads. Having seen him on TV, I was puzzled by the concept of him as a serious actor in the plays but managed to suspend disbelief and was pleasantly surprised. Whilst he’s not going to be winning any BAFTA awards any time soon, he managed to fulfil the roles adequately. Deena Payne and Cole Michaels as his co-stars, give strong and naturalistic performances which offset some of his limitations as a performer.

    The wealth of culture which came from the AIDS crisis is a great heritage and one which is well worth continually re-examining and reviving, especially in our more complacent times where HIV prevention is less prominent on the agenda. These two plays are well worth checking out.

    The production supports The Make a Difference Trust which raises money from the entertainment industry to support people living with HIV and AIDS. and those in the entertainment industry facing hardship as a result of living with long term conditions.

    The plays run until the 17th of May

    Buy tickets here:
    http://www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/safe_sex.asp
    Check out The Make a Difference Trust and their work here: http://www.madtrust.org.uk/

  • THEATRE REVIEW: The Archimedes Principle, Park Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | The Archimedes Principle, Park Theatre, London

    How safe are children in the care of strangers? How much do we know about the people we work with? How far would we go to protect ourselves?

    In a town that’s haunted by an incident at the nearby community centre regular swimming lessons come to a halt when a swimming instructor is accused of inappropriately touching a child during a lesson and the dangers of Facebook creep to the surface. When history appears to repeat itself what can people do but expect the worst?

    This intense one act play by Spanish writer Josep Maria Miró i Coromina is set entirely in the changing room of a swimming pool. Buff and outwardly wholesome young swimming coach Brandon is about to have his world torn apart as his troubled boss, Anna, corners him and his colleague, Matt to talk about a complaint from a parent.

    The play was an award winning triumph in its native Spain, playing to sell out houses. It is certainly challenging and thought provoking and yet still manages to be entertaining and fast paced. The action flips about through time, moving skilfully backward and forward through the events of one day; a device which works well in telling the entirely believable story.

    Credit goes to the four actors especially the two younger men, Lee Knight and Matt Bradley-Robinson. Knight is particularly compelling as Brandon, a cocky hunk with a six-pack who hides vulnerability and maybe some darker issues. Bradley-Robinson is utterly believable as his slightly gauche and less confident colleague.

    The script feels tight and rarely falters and the subject of how we deal with letting children be cared for by strangers without living in fear feels like a relevant and important subject to tackle. The flip side of how adults behave when around children in an anxious society is another thorny issue.
    The play runs until 11th of May

    Book tickets here: http://parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/archimedes-principle/about

  • THEATRE REVIEW | King Charles III, Almeida Theatre

    ★★★★ | King Charles III, Almeida Theatre
    Queen Elizabeth II is no more. Long live the King! Prince Charles has long courted controversy, offering his opinions about political matters, the environment and been the victim of press intrusion. How will he take on the mantel of power after a lifetime waiting in the wings, especially when the first task is to sign off a bill limiting the powers of the press? How will the younger royals react to his reign? More importantly, what will become of the nation?

    Mike Bartlett’s future history play about the reign of King Charles is an unusual but effective piece of thought provoking comedy. Written in a Shakespearean style with dialogue in cod blank verse and abundant soliloquys. Shakespearean tropes abound too: the whispering ghost casting a shadowy figure across the stage (Princess Diana, complete with head tilt, of course), the scheming, ambitious wife (Catherine Duchess of Cambridge) and the foppish fool (Prince Harry).

    The recognisable characters of the modern soap opera family that is the Windsors are instantly recognisable yet the cast manage to give them depths and motivations that the viewer wouldn’t always expect. Tim Piggott-Smith portrays Charles as a principled man; misguided and idealistic at times but wise at others, with an underlying crisis of confidence bubbling beneath the surface. Lydia Wilson is spellbinding as Kate and Richard Goulding’s Harry, bewitched by a Republican commoner from South East London, is magnificent. Handsome Oliver Chris is a revelation as a William who is less effete than he initially appears.

    Rupert Gould has managed to stage the play as a haunting piece of modern theatre that is watchable and compelling yet also informative and highly relevant to our times. This is a hilarious play that is quite an exceptional piece of theatre following on from the Almeida’s recent run of stand out pieces.

    I suspect that this play will go on to huge success and acclaim and wouldn’t be surprised by a West End transfer. Now might be the time to catch it in the intimate space of the Almeida that lends itself so well to this production.

    King Charles III runs until Saturday 31st of May

    Buy tickets here: http://www.almeida.co.uk/event/kingcharles

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Orton, Above The Stag

    ★★★★ | Orton, Above The Stag
    One of the great things about London is that you don’t have to go to the West End and pay huge amounts of money to witness great theatre. We have a thriving Fringe theatre, which can on occasion reap rich rewards, as it is presently doing at the tiny Above The Stag theatre in Vauxhall, presently the home for a brand new British musical, Orton based on Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell’s intense and ultimately tragic 16 year relationship.

    If you know anything of Joe Orton’s untimely demise, you might think that this would be a dark, gloomy musical, but it is in fact sublimely funny in places, delightfully entertaining and full of that wicked sense of humour that permeates all Orton’s plays. There’s no getting away from the grisly ending of course and Act II is certainly darker than Act I, but, even here, the introduction of the character of Kenneth Williams (brilliantly played by Simon Kingsley) lightens what could have been a turgid descent into tragedy and his wickedly Carry On inspired “Form An Orderly Line” received the biggest ovation of the night.

    At heart, though, this is a love story. Like many others, no doubt, I have often wondered why Orton stayed with Halliwell, when the relationship broke down, and the writes takes the view that Orton, deep down, did love Halliwell. It is also a story of colliding values, Halliwell’s rooted in the past; Orton’s more revolutionary and progressive. He was very much ahead of his time, making no apologies for his love of casual sex with labourers and the like in various public conveniences around London. This actually leads to one of the funniest numbers in the show, “Another Night Another Man”, which is brilliantly and hilariously staged by choreographer Phillip Aiden, making clever use of designer Andrew Holton’s multi-door set.

    Richard Silver’s musical numbers, if not especially memorable, always serve the action and move it forward as they should, and his lyrics are full of the kind of witticism that Orton himself would no doubt be proud of. One slight miscalculation was the inclusion of a song for Mrs Cordon, Orton and Halliwell’s neighbour. It is a lovely ballad, sung beautifully and touchingly by Valerie Cutko (who also puts in a terrific performance of Peggy Ramsay, Orton’s agent), but I question the wisdom of including so late in the show, when one feels the action should be moving inexorably towards its tragic denouement, a song for what is after all a minor character.

    Another was the inclusion of an on stage chorus while Halliwell was having his final breakdown. Though musically it works, I would have had them sing off stage, as if they were presumably voices in his head. Their presence on stage, especially in such a small space, is distracting.

    That is the only question mark I would place over Tim McArthur’s direction, whose pacing of Sean J Hume’s masterly book was always sure and apposite. He also gets wonderful performances from his two leads. Richard Dawes is careful to show the connection between Orton’s wide eyed curiosity at the beginning to his lust for life as he matures, while Andrew Rowney’s insecure Halliwell sows the seeds of his later madness from the moment of his initial obsession with Joe.

    In the movie Prick Up Your Ears, Orton says, when picking up an award, “ My plays are about getting away with it, and the ones who get away with it are the guilty ones. It’s the innocents who get it in the neck…… I’ve got away with it so far – and I’m going to go on;” words that turned out to be anti-prophetic.
    However Above The Stag have got away with it. They undoubtedly have a hit on their hands.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales, Shoreditch Town Hall

    ★★★★ | Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales, Shoreditch Town Hall

    This immersive retelling of some of Grimm’s best-loved fairy tales, alongside a couple of less well-known ones, is an extraordinary journey through a world that is both familiar and intriguing.

    The characters find themselves in the basement rooms of Shoreditch Town Hall many years after their tales took place. They have entertained themselves by retelling their stories and invite you to join them as they do so.

    We gather amongst mysterious hooded figures in the entrance hall before Red rushes through, urging the crowd to follow her as she leads us down into the bowels of East London. Each simply-decorated room has been magically transformed to evoke a sense of suspense and wonder, but the attention to detail doesn’t stop there.

    Between performance rooms, the corridors are decorated and secret doors hide uninhabited but furnished rooms, all of which lead the mind through many more of Grimm’s tales as if those characters are residents too. The stories themselves are told in a simple manner which allows the characters to live in our own imagination as brightly as those we see before us.

    The storytellers themselves are Ashley Alymann, Sabina Arthur, Rebecca Bainbridge, Annabel Betts, James Byng, Paul Clerkin, Lindsay Dukes and Simon Wegrzyn and there really isn’t a weak link amongst them. Each holds a particular charm in their storytelling manner and an incredible ability to lead you deep into your own imagination.

    However, there is one in particular who shines through as truly exceptional. Simon Wegrzyn plays a thoroughly captivating Wolf, with a look in his eyes that is altogether as dark and conniving as the character he inhabits. Later in the evening, his Hans-My-Hedgehog is a world away from the wicked Wolf, but every inch as captivating and performed with a delightfully humorous sensitivity.

    Hans My Hedgehog is a peculiar tale, and not one I had come across previously. Half-boy half-hedgehog, Hans is disowned by his father so rides his cockerel to the woods, where he lives in a tree playing bagpipes to pigs (as you do).

    Philip Wilson has adapted Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales: For Young And Old in a manner which remains true to the author’s collection whilst allowing the stories to exist in an entirely new form. Together with Tom Rogers (set and costume), Howard Hudson (lighting) and Richard Hammarton (sound), he has created a wonderful, wondrous world where fiction really does meet reality.

    To experience this magical fairytale world for yourself (and it really is worth doing so), head over to www.grimm-tales.co.uk and book yourself a trip to Shoreditch before 24 April.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Never Try This At Home, Sheffield Crucible Studio, UK Tour

    ★★★★ | Never Try This At Home, Sheffield Crucible Studio, UK Tour

    In this “disturbing homage to Saturday Morning television”, TV reunion show, “Looking Back Together” examines what ever happened to the cast of the anarchic TV show, Shushi, which was taken off air when things get out of hand and sexy “for the dads” presenter, Petra Massey, has a breakdown live on the show. As the peek behind the scenes reveals, not everything is well behind the custard pies and the buckets of water.

    “Told by an Idiot” Theatre Company presents this very funny, dark comedy in an affectionate, tongue in cheek tribute to the time when Tiswas and Swap Shop ruled the Saturday morning airwaves. Crammed full of references and in-jokes to those halcyon days of children’s weekend entertainment, this chaotic, laugh out loud funny and refreshingly politically incorrect show was packed full of nostalgia. The references are easy enough to spot, and with everything covered from the custard pies, the ridiculous games (“kick a vicar” and “build a dog”) and a thinly disguised Noel Edmunds impersonation, very little escapes unscathed.

    The show affectionately pokes fun at the style of TV shows of the 70’s and also a sly sideways swipe at the current crop of reunion shows. The format of the show is cleverly done, transforming the audience in the theatre into the audience of a recording of fictional TV show “Looking Back Together”, where clips of Shushi are played out (live on the stage) and the presenters are brought out and interviewed by a Jeremy Kyle tinged presenter. The TV show within a TV show format was original and worked well in the performance space.

    As for the humour, the piece was dark in its comic tone, but very funny. Ranging from slapstick to silly and including a biting social commentary on the 1970’s attitudes to race, gender and sexuality. The show does have a number of jokes where you can’t help but think “did they really just say that”, but the humour stays in a similar vein, albeit at a good arm’s length away, to Sacha Baron-Cohen’s “Borat”.

    The performances from the cast were full of energy and suitably silly, nicely parodying the presenting style of the time. The flares, wigs and catsuits fitted the show perfectly and with the amount of water, custard pies and baked beans flying around, the front row remained sensibly empty. The cast fully involved the audience and it was hard to tell at times what was rehearsed and what was improvised. The enjoyment of the cast in their performances was infectious and after the show’s 90 minutes running time, the presenters of “Shushi”, felt like old friends (in the same way that Simon Groom and John Noakes were back in the day).

    The show was really good fun, especially for those who grew up in the 70’s and brought back many memories of wasted Saturday mornings. With the laughter ringing out from the audience throughout the show, it was clear to see that the satirical writing was a huge hit with them.

    Never Try This At Home is currently playing at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre. Details and tickets can be found at http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/never-try-this-at-home-14/ .

    The show then moves to Edinburgh and Soho.

    Details can be found at http://www.toldbyanidiot.org/productions/never-try-home/

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Westend Fest, The Actors’ Church

    ★★★★ | Westend Fest, The Actors’ Church
    The West End was treated last Sunday evening to not one but two glittering charity fundraisers. I opted to visit the always-fun WestEnd Fest, held at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden over the larger and more-publicised West End Unites event at the Lyric.

    With a line-up consisting of many of the West End’s best-loved names, WestEnd Fest is an evening of song, dance and lots of laughter organised by actress Sabrina Aloueche and musician Richard Parnell Page. This show’s theme, “Songs you love… BUT SHOULDN’T!” paved the way for these West-Enders to belt out some of their favourite pop tunes.

    I was struck, initially, by just how perfect a venue St Paul’s Church is for a celebration of all that the West End has to offer. This peaceful haven, in the very heart of Covent Garden, is known as The Actors’ Church, and is a perfect setting for the evening of heavenly pleasures we witnessed.

    David Ribi and Rosie Ladkin opened the show with a tribute to that guiltiest of pleasures, High School Musical. The evening continued in much the same vein, with songs from various musicals including Frozen, The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book and Love Never Dies, as well as tributes to Maria Mackee, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake, and Belinda Carlisle with Justin Bieber (an unlikely pairing, admittedly, but one that Rob Houchen somehow made work in his inventive and original arrangement).

    David Ribi also closed the evening as part of WestEnd Fest’s very own boyband, Wrong Direction. Known for being a member of top One Direction tribute act Only One Direction as well as his numerous acting and presenting credits, he was perfectly at home in such an environment and this shone through in his performance.

    The performers were simply too numerous to critique each one, but each sang to their strengths, and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to perform their best-loved guilty pleasures. Extra-special mentions, however, must be given to Rebecca Caine, Aaron Sidwell, Tori Allen Martin, Lauren Samuels, Kieran Brown and WestEnd Fest’s co-founder, Sabrina Aloueche for making my spine tingle with their outstanding performances.

    The evening also showcased a selection of songs from two new musicals which are both worth watching out for. ‘The Mill on The Floss’ is a catchy production of George Eliot’s tragic story of the battle between morality and desire; while ‘Twenty Seven’ is a new story with a superbly emotional score, performed with gusto by the supremely talented Ross William Wild and other members of its excellent cast.

    WestEnd Fest is a bi-annual fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and CRY UK, a children’s cardiac arrest charity. Based on the quality of last Sunday’s show, I urge you to buy tickets as soon as the next one is announced.

    Follow @WestEndFests on Twitter or ‘Like’ their Facebook page to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | How To Be Immortal, UK Tour

    ★★★★ | How To Be Immortal, UK Tour
    Three true tales intertwine in this intimate, bold and funny show about love, science, death and immortality.

    Henrietta Lacks died in West Virginia in 1951, but her cells are still alive today, dividing endlessly in laboratories, their every detail studied by scientists all over the world. It’s taken Deborah years to come to terms with her mother’s death. Now, suddenly, she’s got to deal with her immortality.

    Rosa and Mick are in love. She plays the cello, he plays the squeezebox –they sound great together. The trouble is that she’s pregnant and he’s about to die.

    If we didn’t have bodies would we live forever? Its 1950 and Doctor George Gey and his wife Margaret are about to make a mind-bending discovery using homemade apparatus and some calves liver puree. All they need is the right biopsy.

    Love, death and DNA intertwine in three twisted true tales about what we leave behind. There’s live music on cello, squeezebox and ukulele, 1950s science, nano-puppetry, animation and a song composed from human DNA coding. This is a moving production that is not easily shaken from the mind.

    For such a heavy subject matter, this is actually a very watchable and engaging play with plenty of humour. Writer, Kirsty Housley, manages to present a trio of fascinating stories with a deft touch, conveying both deep emotion and offering up a complex scientific theme, which is quite a feat. The technology worked well too with some breath taking back projections onto the versatile and clever set. The stories blend well together and the trio of talented actor/musicians give sterling performances in a variety of role.

    I was lucky enough to catch the show at the Albany at Deptford, a fantastic small theatre and arts venue which people outside of South London might not be in the know about. It’s well worth a visit and easily reached by public transport.

    The show is on tour until the end of March 2014 and you can catch it at various venues around the U.K.: http://www.pennydreadfultheatre.com/#!tour-dates/cxb5

    Check out The Albany at Deptford here: http://www.thealbany.org.uk/whatson

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Blink, Soho Theatre

    ★★★★ | Blink, Soho Theatre

    Blink is the tale of Jonah and Sophie. It’s a love story, a very dysfunctional love story, but a love story all the same.

    The show was a sell-out hit at Soho Theatre and in Edinburgh in 2012 and sees a welcome return to this charming theatre on Dean Street.

    Harry McEntire and Rosie Wyatt give astounding performances as the two characters, both talking in short monologues, telling the audience the story of their unconventional romance. I won’t give any of the plot away but there are moments of gentle pathos mixed with quirky humour and dark reflections of modern life. The story is propelled forward by the intriguing storyline, which whilst bordering on the absurd, is made entirely real and believable by a fast paced and beautifully written script and strong line delivery from the two actors. The set is clever too, making use of a minimum of items to portray as variety of settings.

    Writer, Phil Porter, describes the piece as “A big, silly, serious, semi-ridiculous play.” He’s definitely mixed these elements well and this is a show well worth seeing

     

    Blink runs until 11/01/14 at The Soho Theatre

     

    Book tickets here: http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/blink

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Love Your Soldiers, Crucible Theatre Studio, Sheffield

    ★★★★ | Love Your Soldiers

    In Helmand Province, two young soldiers have bonded like brothers in the midst of war, but when one of them is seriously injured, their relationship is tested even further when he is returned home and continues his affair with his best friend’s girlfriend.

    Ken is a soldier and is a fun loving guy who takes his girlfriend for granted. When his best friend, Roly, covers Ken’s patrol, he steps on a landmine, and loses both of his legs. Roly is returned to a rehabilitation centre in England. But unbeknown to Ken, his girlfriend, Gemma, and Roly have been having an affair and she is torn between the two of them. When Gemma announces that she is pregnant, she remains ambiguous about the father of the child and matters come to a head when Ken returns home on leave to both spend time with the woman he loves and to confront his guilt for allowing Roly to take his place on the patrol which led to his injuries.

    Love, betrayal, friendship, honesty and revenge are the themes of this touching, poignant and well produced and directed play. The first thing that strikes you as you enter the theatre is the set which envelopes the seating area and places the audience in the middle of the set itself. The production uses a number of interesting and well utilised video and audio effects, using giant screens and projectors to replicate the webcam exchanges of the central characters (which are acted out live on stage) and as background settings to the various scenes and locations. The use of smoke, lighting and loud exchanges of gunfire and explosions proved an assault on the senses, particularly in the battle scenes, invoking a genuine tension in the audience. There is very little to fault this play on in terms of its staging and direction and the director, Richard Wilson, has to be commended for such an excellent job.

    The story is one which is well written and is tender and touching, exploring the relationships between the soldiers, those left “at home” and those around them on the front line. There is some discussion around homosexuality and homophobia, although this is not the central theme of the play, instead, it focusses more on the impact of the situation of the three central characters on each other and on those around them.

    In a small cast, Chris Leask gave the standout performance as Ken and Jordan Bright as Roly performed well in his first professional role; with the rest of the cast giving competent support. But where the play comes into its on is in the story and the drawing in of the audience. The feeling you get when watching the play falls into two distinct categories. The scenes set in Afghanistan makes you feel, at times, like you are in the middle of an action film. The scenes set in England make you feel like you are in the middle of a high quality BBC drama. This was a thought provoking play and one which, with Remembrance Day approaching, is a timely reminder of the sacrifices made by those in the armed forces and their family and friends and is certainly one where the circumstances, themes and issues in the story stay with you long after the performance.

    Love Your Soldiers is currently showing at the Crucible Theatre and runs until the 23rd November 2013. For further information and to book tickets, visit