When R.C Sherriff first wrote Journey’s End in 1927, he struggled to get it produced. The country was still reeling from the First World War, and there was a real fear that a play which exposed many of the myths of the Western Front could cause offence and be perceived as unpatriotic.
It is one of the great strengths of David Grindley’s touring production that it succeeds in recapturing the rawness of Sheriff’s work, making it speak to a modern audience, not just as an historical document.
All of the action is set over three days in the trenches, just before the start of the German offensive. The extremely detailed set helps to create a sense of claustrophobia. The actors appear too large for the space with its low ceiling, and narrow doorways.
The cast succeed in portraying how the men survive the fear of the horror that awaits them once they receive the inevitable order to go over the top, by fixating on trivia, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes or food. Graham Butler’s performance as 2nd Lieutenant Raleigh is particularly heart rending, as he desperately tries to maintain the stiff upper lip which has been encouraged at his public school, with the exclamation of ‘topping!’
When the plays reaches its chilling climax the auditorium almost shakes with the sound of war. The actors stand as if they were statues on a war memorial, highlighting to the audience the way in which this conflict has had a lasting impact on modern society.