The Lads In Their Hundreds: Comèdie de Picardy

With only schoolboy French I was worried that this might be a tough act to follow, forgive the pun, but I was oh so wrong. Okay, I may not have been catching each word, each phrase even, but what of it. What I did get was the magnificent poetry of Tchèky Karyo’s delivery, a beautifully lit, or should I say confidently under-lit stage and the subtle but powerful direction of Jean-Luc Reval. Added to this we had Tenor Edmund Hastings singing beautifully and in English, accompanied by Edward Liddel on Piano and Michael Foyle on violin who played a plaintive Lark Ascending. Then later, at home, I was able to read the translations of the French war poets and round off a magical evening, the stuff of which great festival programmes are really made. Would I change anything? Well translations of the poems projected would help – but only if done with great typographic skill and equal elegance. Otherwise no, a great evening of poignant creativity.
Theatre Royal Brighton
5 May
Andrew Kay
4.5 stars