Review: Private Peaceful, Lace Market Theatre

Private Peaceful has had several incarnations. Starting life as a children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, it was successfully adapted for the big screen as well as the stage. It has been a one-hander, with a single actor covering a whole host of parts. Here it’s an ensemble piece for seven actors, most of whom play three or more characters.

Narrated by Tommo Peaceful, the tale is a simple one. Two brothers, part of a family of Devon farm labourers, grow up together, sharing the same childhood sweetheart; they enlist for the Great War together and see action in the same company. One of them doesn’t survive the conflict, but the other returns home at the end, we presume to take the place of his brother, who has left a widowed wife and baby.

It being Morpurgo, and having been originally written for children, it’s packed, for the best of reasons, with most of the WWI clichés we know and love: the hard-done-by privates, the bullying NCO, the callow lieutenant straight out of school, the incompetent and ignorant top brass, the Hun who’s actually a decent fellow, etc, etc.

But this upstairs studio production moves you and engages you, as a decent play should. This is partly down to Morpurgo of course; but also to Paul Johnson, in his directorial debut for the Lace Market, his actors and his creative team.

The versatile, and busy, George Page-Bailey, as older brother Charlie, and Martin Pikett, as Tommo, are both excellent, though the latter tends to deliver his text in an overly uniform and negative monotone. Pikett is, however, especially effective in addressing individuals in the audience.

Michelle Smith is splendid in many parts, particularly as the old crone egging the lads on to enlist, and as a distraught Belgian café proprietor. Danielle Wain is love interest Molly as well as a highly convincing Belgian waitress, and much else.

John Parker (officers, NCOs and women), Liza Pybus (notably mentally retarded older brother Big Joe), and Jason Wrightam (unsympathetic patrician parts) do fine work.

Some highly realistic sound effects – a falling tree, an aeroplane, the shelling – add much to the evening; as does the background music and song – though it isn’t clear what Fats Waller has to do with it. Costumes are well done.

With an interval, this is two hours of solidly worthwhile entertainment for adults, and all but the youngest of children.

Read the original article here.

PRIVATE PEACEFUL
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre

Private Peaceful is a modern novel written for older children by Michael Morpurgo. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from his childhood to his present day from the trenches of World War I in Belgium.

It's a very powerful and emotive story, made all the more intense by the intimacy of the upstairs studio setting. It also tells of the horrors of war,and how the women and loved ones back home are to some extent shielded from the reality of what was happening on the front line.

Martin Pikett is a talented story teller, painting pictures in your head of what he went through as Private "Tommo" Peaceful, alongside his elder brother Private Charlie Peaceful, played by George Page-Bailey, who we saw not too long ago at the Lace Market Theatre in "Rutherford and Son".

A very able cast portray several variable characters each, all of them with their own virtual paintbrush to paint their own characters in your head.

The use of cinematic projection transported you to varied scenes. From the farm in Devon to the Belgian trenches, and I found it very easy to be swept along with these scenes and characters.

Beautifully directed by Paul Johnson with clever lighting designed by Peter Hodgekinson with Martin Curtis providing the sound. The costumes were true to the era and complemented the feel of the overall production.

If you do not find yourself getting emotionally involved in this play, then you haven't bought into the story, and that will be of no fault of the actors who, as I've said in the past who find themselves working in close proximity of the audience in this setting, are truly in the spotlight when so close to their audience.

I can understand why this week is sold out because it's a wonderful play, brought to you by some truly talented actors and crew.

Read the original article here.