Dominic Mattos reviews the perfect mix of humour and tension that is Our Boys in the West End.
A military hospital in 1984, the situation in Northern Ireland is at its most intense. A 'Potential Officer' called Menzies is put in an open ward with a bunch of squaddies. Menzies, whose situation reflects playwright Jonathan Lewis’ own experiences, is suffering from a pilonidal sinus. He is about to go to Sandhurst, having been an army scholar, and is yet to see conflict. He does not belong.
Moreover, his ward-mates are wary of him. We meet Keith from Northern Ireland who has a mysterious leg injury, Ian who has recently come out of a coma, Parry who by accepting an officer’s orders not to change his socks has lost his toes to frostbite, and Mick who has been circumcised for ‘hygiene reasons', according to Parry “he kept choking the sheep”. We also meet Joe, who seems almost recovered, and is unquestionably the leader of the group.
There is much comedy in the tension between the men, particularly where Menzies in concerned. The timing is impeccable, the realism impressive. The humour comes not only from the lads’ banter, but also from their situation. When Ian and Menzies are both shouting out in their sleep - the latter clearly distressed - Keith yells “Will you two go back to base?!” We laugh, but stop when seconds later Keith is cradling a crying Ian in his arms.
Things are driven forward by an illicit drinking game, a sort of Russian roulette, which involves opening cans of beer – some vigorously shaken – next to the head. It ends badly, with an accident in the ward that leads to an investigation. Someone spills the beans about the contraband beer, and Menzies is immediately suspected.
From this turning point the piece becomes darker, as differences are highlighted and loyalties questioned, indeed we learn – quite graphically – the importance of loyalty. Things begin to move faster, underscored by shorter and more staccato scenes, and half-lit scene changes that beautifully illustrate the passing of time. With the sound of laughter echoing in our ears, and the frivolous explosions of beers cans a near memory to us, we gradually become aware of the true and often hidden price of conflict, and it is an unsettling awakening.
The performances are uniformly strong, particularly Arthur Darvill as Parry, and Lewis Reeves whose portrayal of the stages of Ian’s recovery is truly remarkable. Lawrence Fox’s Joe takes a while to get going but he redeems himself at the end of the piece in a staggering final scene. This moving and funny depiction of laddish machismo and vulnerability is sensitively written and profoundly human. It richly deserves this revival, and indeed its West End debut. It runs only until December and I strongly advise you to see it.
Our Boys runs at Duchess Theatre until 15th December 2012
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