Review: JOURNEY'S END at Little Theatre, University Of Adelaide

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Friday 19th July 2024.

In the company’s 40th year, Independent Theatre is presenting R. C. (Robert Cedric) Sherriff’s 1928 three-act play, Journey’s End, directed by Independent’s Artistic Director, Rob Croser. It is set in the officers’ dugout on the frontline of the trenches at Saint-Quentin, Aisne, between the 18th and 21st March 1918 in the lead-up to Operation Michael the last operation in the German Spring Offensive.

The well-cast production is directed, with all the insight that we have come to expect of him, by Rob Croser, and the superb set was designed by him and David Roach, taking advantage of the upper level in the Little Theatre’s performance area to indicate that the action all takes place below ground level.

Wars bring together a diverse group of people from all walks of life, and having the common enemy is not always enough to overcome their incompatibilities, made more evident by constantly being together in a confined space. Naturally, tempers can become heated at times, not helped by the added pressure of the knowledge that an attack can come at any moment.

There was a 12% death rate and, according to the author, John Lewis-Stempel, in his book, Six Weeks: The Short and Gallant Life of the British Officer in the First World War, there was a life expectancy of six weeks for the junior officers in the trenches. Although artillery was the biggest threat, many died from infectious diseases from the unsanitary conditions.

Fresh from public school, eighteen-year-old Second Lieutenant Jimmy Raleigh arrives to join an infantry company under Captain Dennis Stanhope, his school friend, and sporting hero. Raleigh has asked to be assigned to C Company, but Stanhope is unhappy about Raleigh being so close, as he is engaged to Raleigh’s sister, Madge, but he has become an alcoholic and is afraid that Raleigh will report this in his letters to home.

The play opens with Captain Hardy, who is leaving, handing over his position to Lieutenant Osborne, who is replacing him, joking with him about Captain Stanhope’s heavy drinking. Osborne, an older man formerly a public schoolmaster before the war, and whom the others call ‘Uncle’, stands up for Stanhope.

The new man, Raleigh, arrives and Stanhope makes it very clear that he is unhappy with the situation, while Raleigh displays his delight at his posting. That conflict runs throughout the play. Numerous other officers and men appear, elaborating on life in the trenches.

Private Mason is an infantryman on loan as a cook, a job at which he continually fails to locate all of the necessary ingredients for his dishes. Second Lieutenant Trotter, who loves to eat, almost incessantly, cannot stand the war, and obsessively keeps track of the time that he has been there. Second Lieutenant Hibbert claims to have neuralgia in the eye and wants to be sent home, but Stanhope believes that he is faking the illness. The Sergeant Major is the intermediary between officers and men, and the Colonel makes an important appearance. There are also brief appearances by Private Broughton and an unnamed, captured German Soldier.

Callum Logan and Benji Riggs play the two central characters, Raleigh and Stanhope, and it is important to remember that, although they are officers, thanks to their social standing, they are only 18 and 21 years of age, respectively. Stanhope has proved to be a natural leader, but he is a flawed hero, badly affected by three years at the front, while Raleigh is naïve, and full of boyish enthusiasm and hero worship. Any friendship that they might have had at school has become a wide gulf between them. It quickly becomes apparent that they now have little in common due to the horrors of war that Stanhope has faced and which have changed him. Logan and Riggs create multifaceted characters and develop strong interactions that grow and change as the days in the dugout go by.

As Hardy, Patrick Marlin touches on the idea of fighting for “King and country” by reminiscing on his home life, whilst showing disdain for the paperwork, which seems so pointless under the circumstances, and which he has ignored. He shows his character’s relief and leaving in a nice touch of joviality. As Osborne, Jordan Rose, brings out the more sober side of his character, the dedicated and loyal member of the dugout.

Gabe Mangelsdorf brings humour into the dugout as Mason, the kean but incompetent cook, who at least manages to keep up a copious supply of mugs of tea, while Ryan Kennealy brings the desperation of the cowardly Hibbert, and Stephen Turner munches his way through several meals as Trotter as a form of psychological comfort in the familiar and mundane of daily life. With a touch of authenticity, the meals are cooked backstage every night, and the smell is tempting, thanks to the Stage Manager, Diana Buratto.

The Colonel is played by David Roach, relaying orders from the General for a daylight raid to capture German soldiers for interrogation, in order to discover their attack plans. His delight at the success conflicts with Stanhope’s dismay at the cost. Roach, the most experienced actor on the stage, brings an air of unassailable authority to the role.

Matt Hein is an impressive presence as the Sergeant Major, and Lachlan Bosland and Ronan Cros do well in the minor roles of Private Broughton and the German Soldier.

As well as the set, the period military uniforms and weapons add greatly to the effect, and another important part of the production is the sound design, an ever-changing array of gunfire, artillery fire, the scream of incoming shells, and explosions.

Regular patrons of Independent Theatre will be well aware of the standard of its productions and will need no convincing to attend this production. If you haven’t seen the company’s work before, then you should now.

The production has a short run, and the intimate Little Theatre has limited seating, so don’t delay, book your tickets straight away.