Another Country

Julian Mitchell’s classic play set in a public school requires a cast of believably young boys and men that are capable of delivering a challenging piece of writing, a work that would be a challenge for mature and experienced actors. CFT have found such a cast, capable of capturing the innocent yet knowing minds of a group of males locked in a confinement that for their class seemed not only normal but acceptable. Of course the constant bullying, threats of beatings and sexual tensions are less than acceptable and for a few, they become a cause, for others a horror to be born.

Themes of loyalty, friendship, class and of course homosexuality run throughout but at the core is the idea of self doubt. When do you really know what is right, and what is your sexuality and Mitchell uses this to thinly disguise what might have been going through the minds of the notorious spies, Guy Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt as they made their way through the English Public School system. Out of a superb cast, not a weak member amongst them, Will Attenborough as Judd and Rob Callender as Bennet shine – as does the wonderfully restrained set. Must see theatre that certainly stands the test of time, as poignant today as it was back in 1982.

Minerva Theatre, Chichester, 24 September 2013
Rating:
Andrew Kay