Journey's End

Let's be honest. I felt terribly abused. I felt this was endless. I felt like I had been drafted and gone to war. Only, fortunately no one really got hurt because they were all there taking one of the best "bow scenes" I've ever seen at the end. And, I got to go home all in one piece. Fortunately and unfortunately, I can't forget that it ever happened.

Journey's End is about the destruction which is war. War destroys lives, minds, limbs, families, etc. This play is about the reality of war on the ground. It isn't about heroics. It's about how it takes normal people and puts them in a situation which is entirely not normal, and one where life is constantly on the line. And, yet, the soldier wants so desperately for the whole thing to be over that he/she will do almost anything to move it all along.

This production was the complete war time experience. I think the theater actually shook when the bombs went off. And, we felt like we were in the bunker. And, it was awful--just awful. Why were we in that bunker? Why was there war at all? The reason remains unclear, because after all soldiers--no matter how good, no matter how individual, no matter how loved--are all just pawns in the game. When you are a pawn, you are just a pawn. War certainly cheapens human life.

What this play is really about is a bunker where there is a temporary staff change, as the regular staff goes on a short leave. While the regular guys are on leave, we meet the temporary relief staff. And, we quickly come to love them. All of them, strengths and faults alike. It is rumored that there will be a serious attack while they are on this temporary duty. To find out more information, some of the men are pawned off on an information gathering spree, sacrificed for virtually nothing in a suicide mission. And, then the real attack does happen. And, it is serious and awful. That's pretty much it.

If I did not love theater, if I had only one choice of one play per year, I most certainly would NEVER have chosen Journey's End. I only got tickets because my brother was supposed to be in town and I thought he would have liked it. That said, this is the best play I have seen in a good long while. The entertainment value on this is next to nothing. So, why is this the best play I have seen in awhile? I guess it was because it was the complete package of an idea, dramatically enacted from head to toe, so to speak. It was a complete idea, effective, moving, gripping, scary and well done. The play was a perfect vehicle for what it was trying to do and the play and the production were of one cloth. That's good theater, even if the entertainment value is very, very low. It all worked together, except for one thing--

My theater companion remarked on this and I would have to say she was right. There was this damn candle which was completely distracting to everything that was going on. Your eyes could not tear away from it, and it was dark enough in the theater that it actually made my eyes tear up. It made everything very hard to see (we were only in the tenth row or something like that) and it was just damn distracting. If anything changes in this production, that candle should go instantly. I got my glasses out thinking my eyes were going, but it was a candle/lighting problem not an eye problem.

Do I recommend it? Yes. For everyone? Yes. Who is the intended real audience for this? God knows, even if I do not. Who is actually willing to buy tickets to this? I have no idea. It was only a fluke that I did. Who would willingly put themselves through something like that? Again, no idea. But, should you? By all means.