Cast

Synopsis

This play explores the nature of a man who loses his balance when devotion to family and country clash. When World War 1 breaks out Rudyard Kipling’s son, Jack, is determined to fight but the Army and Navy both reject him because of his extremely poor eyesight. Undaunted, Kipling uses his influence to land Jack a commission; Jack goes to war and is reported missing. The play is a powerful and moving account of Kipling’s anguish and guilt and their effect on his family.

Directors Notes

‘My Boy Jack’ is both a character study of one of the most famous literary figures of the 20th century, and a complex tale of a family in conflict. The play reveals the nature of a man torn between a fierce patriotic love for his country and his love for his son.

Rudyard Kipling is eager for his only son, Jack, to enlist as an Army officer and fight for King and country in the Great War. Jack is a teenage boy dreaming of a life beyond the shadow of his famous father, and sees the war as a chance to become a man in his own right. Carrie Kipling, Rudyard’s American wife, is torn between supporting her husband and protecting her child, and Elsie is a forgotten sister desperately trying to make sense of the situation unfolding around her.

It would be easy to think of David Haig’s play, ‘My Boy Jack’, as just a reflection on a moment in history, a play set at the height of the British Empire and the onset of World War One. However, with regular news items about young British soldiers being killed in Afghanistan, it seems the world has not moved on so very far, and the play speaks very powerfully to a modern audience. ‘My Boy Jack’, also the title of Kipling’s 1915 poem, questions the extent of Kipling’s responsibility for the fate of his son, and ultimately how he deals with the knowledge of that complicity.

‘My Boy Jack’ was first performed at Hampstead Theatre in 1997, with David Haig as Rudyard Kipling and Belinda Lang playing Carrie. Haig and Lang re-visited their roles in 2005 when they took the production on a national tour.

Haig then went on to adapt the stage play into a film script, which was broadcast on ITV1 in 2007, and starred Kim Cattrell, Daniel Radcliffe and Carey Mulligan alongside David Haig.

Following in the footsteps of such esteemed actors must be a daunting prospect, yet this cast has brought great insight and depth to the characters. It has been a real privilege to work with them to re-tell this incredibly moving story. I hope you enjoy the performance.