This is a long, strong, sometimes bitter conflict of a play carrying a great deal of emotional baggage.
While English audiences might find themselves unfamiliar with pre-1914 Irish Protestant social mores, Gerry McCrudden’s fine, moving production makes it clear we’re dealing with a collision of friendship, discipline, military authority and cruel indifference.
He has a large cast of excellent actors.
We’re mostly concerned with Alec (Edward Cave) and his “private secret friend” Jerry (Fintan Shevlin) with whom he shares a love of horses. Alec, unwilling officer and gentleman, and Jerry, an uncomplicated lad from the village are inescapably bound in a loyalty which brings them a heart-breaking horribly unjust end on the battlefield.
Red Gray is Alec’s mother, an Irish Hedda Gabler, a chilling wrong-headed authoritarian while her husband, Alec’s dad (or is he ?) is Simon Messingham, offering a most moving understatement of family loyalty.
Assorted military nastiness comes from Philip Davies, Jeremy Crow and Culann Smyth with Matthew Mulvay is the cynical young officer not caring while everyone else cares too much.
There is attractive music from Robert Purchese, Adam Kincaid, James Macauley and Mark Green.
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