Challenging look at war heroism; NOT ABOUT HEROES The Nonentities Rose Theatre, Kidderminster.Byline: JOHN SLIM THE horrendous reality of war is seen through the eyes and often the verse of Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon, CBE MC (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English poet and author. He became known as a writer of satirical anti-war verse during World War I, but later won acclaim for his prose work. and Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, MC (March 18 1893 – November 4 1918) was a British poet and soldier, regarded by many as the leading poet of the First World War. His shocking, realistic war poetry on the horrors of trench and gas warfare was heavily influenced by his friend , and it thumps you remorselessly in Victoria Wakeman's superb studio production. The two poets met in 1917, when the war had despatched them to hospital in Edinburgh. We see how a prickly first encounter blossomed into close friendship; how Sassoon helped Owen with his early verses and grew to return the hero worship. It is brimming with evocative prose - "Heroism is a kind of social obligation inflicted at the font" - and liberally built on broad stepping-stones of verse, delivered faultlessly fault·less adj. Being without fault. See Synonyms at perfect. fault  less·ly adv. . Initially, Owen
(Tom Rees) is diffident, stammering; in awe of the established poet,
portrayed by Richard Taylor as confident and forthright. Gradually,
Owen's loathing of war comes irresistibly to the fore while Sassoon
acknowledges that anger, madness and revenge are no reason to be
battlebrave.
This is a production that amply fulfils its obligations to writer Stephen McDonald. It continues until Saturday. VERDICT: ***** |
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