In the year before the centenary of World War I this production puts us in the middle of the conflict in France. Two officers’ lives are examined and exposed reminding us of the horrors that were faced and the debt we owe to our forebears.
The discovery of a family diary, which was frankly a little hackneyed and conveniently placed, assists the story of James and his life in the trenches. Poignant and evocative of a world gone by, the action is almost dismissive of the battle raging around the protagonists, their life drama being more immediate than the world around them.
Certainly sympathetic to the era, the two stars are well suited to play the SPIV officers who declare their love for each other and develop a physical relationship. Duty and society come before affairs of the heart and what they may actually desire is not available for them. Somewhat glossed over, the brief love affair seems to pass away as if nothing has happened when James turns his attentions to Nora, Robert’s cousin working as a nurse. Robert is denied his happiness and his death seems little grieved by the couple as their future seems set to flourish.
Another Story has strong production values, with good costumes and music of the period. The actors are versatile and talented enough to make this show a dignified and authentic account of a turbulent time of a generation that shall not be forgotten.
