Review: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, Charing Cross Theatre

This review contains spoilers for the storyline.

In the weeks leading up to the Attack on Pearl Harbour, affairs and boxing matches invigorate army life for a company stationed in Hawaii in Tim Rice and Stuart Brayson's 2013 musical From Here to Eternity. Based on James Jones' homonymous novel and featuring a book by Bill Oakes and Donald Rice, the show is back in London with a revised score and new orchestrations after its premiere nine years ago. Directed by Brett Smock, strong performances can't lift an average narrative that wavers between romance and social commentary.

Prewitt (Jonathon Bentley) is refusing to fight for a boxing trophy after being purposely transferred from a different company, preventing many promotions from happening. Instead, he visits Mrs Kipfer's (Eve Polycaropou in stunning form) brothel, where he empathises with Lorene (Desmonda Cathabel), a young prostitute. He's infatuated and wants to save her, she says she's alright as she is.

Then there's Sgt Warden (Adam Rhys-Charles), who's having an affair with his superior's wife Karen (Carley Stenson), whose husband is also cheating on her. Finally, poor Private Maggio (Jonny Amies), whose sexuality ends up putting him into forced labour.

It should all feel epic, but it's mild at best. While the piece puts into perspective how irrelevant any matter of the heart is in the face of war, the attempt to present the love stories so upfront mostly just dilutes the critique of the American military system. An unmemorable score that ambles from blues to rock and a rather formulaic text don't raise the stakes, introducing soldiers carrying weapons that look straight out of a toy box and wearing brand new boots, shiny in their unscuffedness.

While the romantic aspect is so upfront, it's negligible and inconsequential in meaning. From Here to Eternity offers a clear, uncompromising stance on the army. The soldiers are compared to rats in a cage, pining for the war to start to ease their boredom. They have something to prove. They profess their love for the army one minute and cry in hate the next. It's a toxic environment, rife with bullying and misogyny. This is clear with Karen and Lorene, who are ultimately playthings, momentary distractions under a lasting pretence.

A few performances stand out from a very strong company. Rhys-Charles' sweet tenor shines in his solo "As Ease" while Bentley's intensity as the broken, torn private is a welcome surge in tension, but it's Stenson who steals the show. Her Karen is headstrong, trapped in a loveless marriage and considerably more emotionally driven than the men.

Smock directs on a short, square traverse designed by Stewart J Charlesworth. Concrete dominates the scene with two slabs that rise the stage. Palm trees remind us we're in Hawaii. Projections often drench the space needlessly to visualise a change to the setting and move the action forward in time day by day.

At the very end, the real names of the fallen soldiers of WW2 roll as the cast bow and the crowd exit. It's a shame there's so much light that the moment doesn't get the pause it demands. It leans the production further into politics but doesn't quite make a statement. "We know what to do, we don't know why" the company sing. It sums up this revival.

From Here to Eternity runs at the Charing Cross Theatre until 17 December.

Photo Credit: Alex Brenner

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