Under review: stuck in

The Trench The Old Market, 12 May 2013

Les Enfants Terribles marched into town with their breathtaking production The Trench and knock spots off so many festival offerings. This extraordinary show is so beautifully realised that it’s hard to know where to start. Oliver Linsley’s beautiful script is obviously at the heart of the piece and no doubt works as a stand alone piece of prose, but then… The addition of Alexander Wolfe’s haunting soundscape and songs, beautifully played and sung, Sam Dyer’s accomplished design, Paul Green’s beautiful lighting and Hannah Spearing’s costumes – they not only bring that prose to life but implant it deep into your mind – and all this before I mention the cast.

Ben Warren as Bert is quite extraordinary, his physical presence, the strong miner, undeniable. But it is his gentle vulnerability that has most impact. Alexander Scott, Elliott Rennie and Edward Cartwright are no less impressive as they undertake all other roles and act as chorus, as well as operating the stunningly beautiful if terrifying puppets and the complexities of what appears to be a simple set.

Having visited the trenches of WWI and seen the extreme conditions, I can now add this theatrical experience to bring them to life. Seldom have I seen an audience so still, so rapt and so moved. I cried, I cried a lot as Bert made his way through the horrors of trench life, faced demons and struggled to find his path. I left the theatre moved and wanting more. This is by far the best thing I have seen this Festival, Fringe or main programme.
Andrew Kay