Swish of the Curtain

War has broken out between Britain and Germany. The Royal Warwickshire Regiment find themselves in the trenches of Belgium, far away from home. Based on the diary of Second Lieutenant Bruce Bairnsfather, this play portrays life in the trenches in Winter, 1914.

Cold, wet and homesick, the soldiers are miserable. Bored, depressed and lonely, the nurses are equally upset. Across the battlefield, the German soldiers feel similar. So, on Christmas Day, the two warring troops form a truce. They play football in No Man’s Land, smoke German cigars, sing Christmas carols and unite for two days of blissful harmony.

Knowing where to end this story must have been a challenge for the writer, Phil Porter.  The true story lasted four years and the play would have been too long if it had told the whole tale of the war. However, I did not think his ending was satisfactory.

Also although this is a deeply moving play, life in the trenches came across as too easy. The troop only went ‘over the top’ once and, after the soldiers had had a glass of brandy, life seemed relatively carefree. Also by including the various plays and concerts held in the British trenches, the script created the impression that the soldiers seemed to enjoy themselves a lot of the time.

Overall, I thought ‘The Christmas Truce’ was a little disappointing for an RSC production.  It was, admittedly, a seasonal festive treat for the family and I did enjoy it.  However, unlike War Horse (see below), it did not give much impression of the terror the soldiers must have felt in the trenches.  Ultimately it did not reflect the fact that a hundred thousand British men were killed in the first five months of The Great War.