@ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 25 April 2015
As commemorations for the centenary of the First World War continue, so deepens our understanding of and engagement with the events that shaped the twentieth century. As time goes on, academic research presents new ideas and perspectives offering varying definitive explanations on an intellectual and strategic level, but still we are compelled by the emotional turmoil of human experience and endeavour throughout the war that was intended to end all wars. Sebastian Faulks’ bestselling novel has been adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff and follows the journey of an English soldier during his service in France.
Stephen Wraysford (Edmund Wiseman) is fighting on the Western Front, a lieutenant in the British Army. The action of the play focuses on the years between 1916-18, with flashbacks to Stephen’s time in Amiens in 1910. There, he lived with a factory owner and his wife, with whom he fell in love. The War tore them apart, but Stephen continues to fight for Isabelle (Emily Bowker) and the hope that he will meet her again.
The bestselling novel was produced for television by BBC in 2012 and remains, alongside the works of Pat Barker, Michael Murpurgo and others, as a seminal piece of war fiction. Alastair Whatley’s production is poignant and accomplished. It achieves what it sets out to do: tell this love story and evoke the sense of loss and grief that was so fervent throughout the conflict. Victoria Spearing’s dark and brutal set depicts a claustrophobic life in trenches and tunnels. Live music is performed throughout by James Findlay and compliments the high drama with softness and subtlety. While the production is technically faultless, there is a sense of sentimentality that hangs over the narrative, perhaps pushing the emotions too far at points. It is no mean feat to stage a novel that handles so many complex ideas, and the adaptation does cut some of the subplots and context that offer depth to the moments we see. That being, it is an accessible story that in its telling shows respect and humility to the memory of those who fought in the First World War 100 years ago.