Cast

Synopsis

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Directors Notes

War has always tempted dramatists and has usually defeated them, Agincourt, The Somme, The Japanese Jungle and the Interminable Mother Courage struggling through the Thirty Years War with her cart and her verfremdungseffekt: all of them saw the light of theatrical representation and said their say about war. None of them says it more effectively than Journey’s End and indeed none of them is nearer the truth.

An immense number of theatrical legends cluster around this play and names as diverse as Olivier and Coward have appeared in it. The attractions for the actor are as obvious as its dangers for the box office. There are no children, no animals—indeed there are no actresses-and the play is what is called, too often dismissively, a well made play.

I have never seen the play performed but more than forty years ago I stood outside the scene dock at the Leeds Theatre Royal and listened to the sound of war emanating from within. If our production is nearly as memorable as those sound effects, we shall all be delighted.