Letters Home tells the story of two Liverpudlian brothers in the armed forces. It makes a show out of what average life in the armed forces was like in the eighties at the outbreak of the Falklands war. The story is told through the letters that the soldiers sent to their mother. A story of the conflict, and a wider message of what to expect when entering any war.We see all the themes you will expect to come up when talking about conflict. The characters themselves are not easy to relate to on a personal level, as the script leaves them quite vague, however they do present an image of the universal soldier pretty well. This allowed the production to produce some all-encompassing messages about the horrors of war. We see the lads innocence before the conflict and then the quick change as the reality of real warfare replaces the mindless flag waving. After the Belgrano was sunk, life became much more cruel and threatening for the soldiers on the frontline. They slowly discover that war will not make a man of you, but destroy everything a man can be. Issues of class in Thatchers Britain are raised alongside themes of friendship on the frontline and coping with conflict.The public knows of the horrors that were faced in the Falklands war very well, and when telling a story through facts it is very easy to be provocative. The most moving part of the play came with a vivid description of when the Antelope was hit. The heroism alone that was described would make the tabloids experience an ecstasy of patriotic giddiness. There doesnt need to be any ingenious script writing to send shivers down your spine simply because the story tells itself. The reality of the conflict alone is the most haunting thing. This natural attack on the emotions is heightened by the extremely personal manner of the play, as sons tell their mother the horrors or fears they encounter. There was a problem for the audiences enjoyment of the show as one of the actors, despite being the utterly hench, was too quiet to be heard all the time in the large space. The show is born of personal experience and it can be seen that the aim in writing it was to gain some solace. This leads to a play that is entertaining and touching in places, but quite basic in examining the themes it approaches.
