Flare Path is not a play for anyone looking for gung-ho drama and lots of dazzling effects.
The fear, false bravado and genuine courage of those caught in the Second World War aerial conflict of the 1940s are instead reflected through the characters.
The clipped tones of the period, frequently used in modern comedy sketches, can sometimes have the opposite effect to that intended in what is often a deeply serious play about relationships and the stress of warfare.
So when Countess Skriczevinsky (Siobhan O’Kelly) inquires seriously of a missing airman in a halting rather melodramatic manner: “Is it……..Johnnie?” the mind might flick into humour mode.
A good deal of the tension is presented through the means of people looking out of a large window as the crews with the statistics loaded heavily against survival take off on hugely dangerous flights.
The often-witty but never superficial script and the fine cast also cleverly open a window on the souls and insecurities of everyone involved.
So we get the seemingly cool Flight Lieutenant Graham, superbly portrayed by Alastair Whatley and the confident star in their midst, Peter Kyle, strongly played by Leon Ockenden, both revealing other sides to their characters.
Four stars
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