When walking into Private Peaceful, I truly did not know what to expect. Glass of wine in hand, I had made peace with the fact I wanted an excuse to go to the theatre. What an excuse it was.
From the very moment you lean back into the delightfully cushioned seats, you are drawn into a sense of antiquity in the wartime spirit, from the use of acappella music, male voices singing about the war, to the lone soldier, lying peacefully in a bed centre-stage . The soldier? Private Peaceful. Benjamin Cain excels in this role, balancing the nuance of a man about to die, disillusioned by the war which he was sacrificed so futilely for, and a boy in eternal admiration of his older brother, whom he would follow to the end of the earth forb and eventually does. Being the centre of a one-man show, he carries the entire emotional weight of the narrative on his shoulders, shifting from a vindictive sergeant, to his victimised soldier in the matter of a facial expression or a movement. By the end of the show, I could not help but be the first to stand in applause, truly beaming at the way he managed to move an entire audience with a pocket watch, a bed, and his words.
He is, of course, aided by extraordinary direction from Simon Reade, who also adapted the source material from Michael Morpurgo’s novel of the same name. Throughout the show, Cain moves so fluidly across the stage, but also meticulously to the point where the performance becomes almost something of a dance being played out in front of you, as he dots about the stage here and there, acting out the events which he describes. Credit for this must also be given to the lighting design of the show, particularly in the latter half, as you feel the shell shock of WWI soldiers through the frequent blinding flashes of light, further pushing you closer to Peaceful’s experience in the show.
However, if I am so enamoured by so many aspects of this show, many will be asking why I have not simply ceded to giving the show a clean sweep of five stars.
As endearing and complex as Cain’s performance is during the show, I find there to be some issue conceptually with his performance of one relationship in particular, between Tommo and Charlie, which is the central emotional drive of the show. I find this to therefore be detrimental to the show, and would have found it more impactful, or even unique, if it were a tale of two actors. After all, we all know that single person shows have their place and time, and can be brilliant, but I did not find it to be necessary here.
However, even despite this, I found this to be an overall brilliant and moving experience, and would certainly be returning if I could find another person to come with me again, as I would certainly need my hand held (again).
Private Peaceful runs from Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 September at The Lyceum before continuing on its tour through 2027.
Image by Martin Fullee, provided for press use.
