Ross resonates most strongly as a stalwart Tommy, who can entertain his mates with a song and dance, brave the darkest bomb-threatened tunnels and talk about his sick son at home with simple clarity absent of sentiment. Beautifully written, with some mesmerising imagery that touches every emotion, the story details the elation and desperation suffered by a young man as he.

Farrell, as the boorish husband and a dutiful army captain, and Iain Mitchell, who also has two roles as a tiresome neighbor and a genial soldier, make their characters distinct and impressive. It’s a handsome production throughout, but the scenes of terror resonate especially thanks to good acting and Nunn’s staging but also the evocative contributions of lighting designer David Howe and sound designer Fergus O’Hare.īarnes makes the transition persuasively from callow youth to joyous lover to bitter combat officer, and the lovely and subtle O’Reilly, in the early scenes and later flashbacks, makes it clear why Wraysford falls in love so completely. Wraysford, his senior officer (also Farrell) and the men he commands, including cheerful Jack Firebrace (Lee Ross), go through various kinds of hell in the worst battles of the Somme.

Once the war begins, designer John Napier’s set of trenches, makeshift rooms and underground tunnels creates a startlingly claustrophobic backdrop to the drama. The scenes between the two with neighbors and factory workers, being full of suppressed desire, serve to make the point, though much of this section of the story has to be related by Wraysford speaking to the audience as he writes his diary. Their love affair is described vividly and erotically in the novel, but Wagstaff and Nunn rush the pair quickly offstage at moments of heightened excitement. Cannes: Jason Isaacs Joins Vanessa Redgrave, Freida Pinto in 'The Boy at the Back of the Class'

Birdsong sebastian faulks review