Impressive set design promises a fresh and cutting-edge take on the foul conditions of the trenches during World War I for four men. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fulfil its potential and enacts something that feels like its been seen before.The four, tattered and tired, visibly demonstrate their exhaustion and the length of their never-ending sentence in the trenches. Short scene after short scene displays delirious conversations, miscommunications, confusion, amnesia, idleness, boredom, depression and other emotional extremes.These scenes didn’t achieve their poignancy or the comic relief they aimed for; there was good acting and a few piercing moments of sorrow but the piece didn’t deliver a profound message overall. Pushing Up Poppies leaves no persistent thoughts probably because they never laid a bridge through which the audience could make an empathetic connection. Each scene is prevented from haunting element behind because it is cut too short by frequent blackouts that shut out rather than frame the material.The striking scenery stands out as a highlight of the piece. There is a clear idea displayed but it didn’t know where it was going. A bit more direction and definition to the script and this production could excel to its full potential.