Sarah Hemming - 13 October 2005

One of the most harrowing aspects of the first world war is the sheer youth of so many who were slaughtered. In R.C. Sherriff’s moving play about five officers in a dugout, the new recruit is just 18; the commanding officer, who has been wrecked by his experience, is only 21.

David Grindley’s new casting for his fine production (first launched in 2004) brings this home: both actors are making their professional debut. They bring a poignant freshness to the roles: Tom Payne as Raleigh is eager as a puppy, chatting away excitedly about cricket. Ben Righton as Captain Stanhope has the unlined face of youth, yet his pinched features give the impression of a bud ruined by frost. This young man, who is anaesthetising himself with whisky, can never return to normal life, even should he survive. Righton does not convey the depth of Stanhope’s self-loathing but is compellingly tense, unpredictable and driven. And occasionally he reveals a flash of the old Stanhope – relaxed and convivial – showing what has been lost.

It is in such humane details that the play and the production score. The action is set on the eve of a German offensive that we, and the characters, know will kill nearly all of them. Yet much of the dialogue seems inconsequential, as the cook (a droll Roderick Smith) frets about tinned apricots, or Lieutenant Trotter shows off a photo of his prize hollyhock. The most moving moment is when the young Raleigh and old Osborne (a lovely understated performances from Michael Siberry), about to undergo a fatal raid, quietly make plans to explore the New Forest together. It makes us feel keenly the loss not just of the bright young lad and the kind old man but also their potential relationship.

The production is at its best in such quite moments… this is a fine production of a devastating play.