THE LONG AND THE SHORT AND THE TALL. To 1 April.
Sheffield/Norwich
THE LONG AND THE SHORT AND THE TALL
by Willis Hall
Lyceum Theatre Sheffield To 11 March
Mon-Sat 7.45pm Mat 9 March 2pm, 11 March 3pm
then Theatre Royal Norwich 28 March-1 April 2006
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Runs 2hr 15min One interval
TICKETS: 0114 249 6000
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk (Sheffield)
01603 630000
boxoffice@theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk
www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk (Norwich)
Review: Timothy Ramsden 4 March
Bless ‘em all; a fine company.
Willis Hall’s story of British soldiers trapped while on a supposedly routine patrol during the Japanese advance in World War II Malaya is a well-crafted piece of theatre using the popular form of a comic first-act leading to a more serious second half, with a sombre denouement. The various British characters – Geordie, Cockney, Taff and Scottie, to use barrack-style jargon of the time – compose a symphonic picture of regional loyalties and contrasting temperaments suddenly thrust together by war.
At first, when loss of contact with base is still annoying rather than a threat, tempers and rivalries flare. Later tensions focus on the treatment of a lone Japanese soldier captured when he visits the hut where these men are resting.
Sheffield Theatres’ recent February Lyceum shows have toured. This one’s only booked for Norwich. If other theatres have shied off owing to lack of star-casting, they’re missing out badly. This is a strong ensemble. And in Tom Brooke the company has a nascent star. Previously, Brooke’s played roles emphasising the vulnerable, moon-eyed aspect of his stage persona. Here, his tall, slim figure seems to expand to fill the stage.
Like a malicious boy-scout, this figure in army-shorts lashes out verbally, a Cockney gangster in the making, provocation and sexual innuendo in every move and tone. Under reprimand he stands tall, eyes focused ahead as words shouted at him roar past, ineffectual. Yet Bamforth’s the one who defends the prisoner against the others’ abuses, his individualism and rebellion fusing with a personal sense of justice. Brooke’s as good here, tearing into fellow-private and aggressive corporal alike. And when the most unlikely soldier’s precipitated mayhem and the most aggressive’s left relying on the Japanese, Bamforth is eventually justified.
Jason Merrells’ Sergeant is another fine portrayal, a gruff professional who sorts situations with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency and recognises inevitability when it arrives. Josie Rourke deploys the strong cast well on Lucy Osborne’s set, which drips with tropical humidity. There are tense moments of silent waiting, though sometimes in Bamforth’s sequences others seem uninvolved. Maybe they’re just used to him.
Bamforth: Tom Brooke
Whitaker: David Dawson
Smith: Gareth Farr
Evans: Craig Gallivan
Johnstone: Dorian Healy
Mitchem: Jason Merrells
Macleish: Paul Rattray
Jap[anise Soldier: Dai Tabuchi
Director: Josie Rourke
Designer: Lucy Osborne
Lighting: Neil Austin
Sound: Neil Alexander
Dialect coach: Jeanette Nelson
Fight director: Terry King
Assistant director: James Grieve
2006-03-10 12:35:40