What seemed at first a quirky handling of the Hemingway tale of love and war soon wears thin, as the senses are assaulted by lengthy and descriptive surtitles, time-lagged projected faces and an over-populated stage.
Cameras often plant themselves in front of the actors, forcing the attention to the moving images on the back wall, while narrators proclaim the words above them.
The cast sometimes manage to come through in spite of so many distractions.
Matt Prendergast puts in a hearty and enjoyable performance as Rinaldi, while Jude Monk McGowan’s Frederick Henry delivers some moments of splendour, especially during the latter relationship-centred section, when he struggles to deal with the outcome of Catherine's (Laura Atherton's) botched childbirth.
The set is undoubtedly ingeniously-crafted although, again, it sometimes overshadows the drama.
At one point, a strange hole in the wall appears, which is transformed by blue lighting into the waters of a river; at others the slatted windows rotate to reveal daylight or dark.
All of which adds up to an experience more exhausting than inspiring, but one that, whether deliberately or by default, does succeed in mirroring the turmoil of conflict, as well as the heavy toll it takes on these two innocents.
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