Review: PRIVATE PEACEFUL, Theatre Royal Brighton

"After this night is over, then you can drift away, then you can sleep for ever, for nothing will ever matter again."

A quote from Michael Morpurgo's 2003 novel Private Peaceful, which currently tours the UK as a single-hander play, adapted and directed by Simon Reade, following a successful run at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

Private Peaceful is a dramatic retelling of the life of Private Tommo Peaceful, a young soldier on the front line in the trenches of World War I in France.

The narrative flips back and forth between present-day Tommo counting down the hours to something, unknown to those who have not read the book, and moments of his childhood, from early school days, up to when he joins the British Army with his brother Charlie.

Morpurgo's tale has romance, wit, humour, and also the gritting reality of wartime life in rural Devon.

Andy Daniel's performance is gripping from start to finish as he embodies young Tommo and the different characters he encounters. He bounces around the stage as he runs around many locations, from school playgrounds and to no-man's land.

The simple set, consisting of a bed and a pile of army uniform and possessions, is all that is necessary to retell the story, alongside the odd sound cue. This is testament to Daniel's excellent acting.

The lighting helpfully guides the audience back in time and into new memories in Tommo's life. Creative use of colour is used to depict some of the horrors of fighting on the front line, such as poisonous gas attacks.

One hundred years on from the end of World War I, this entrancing 75-minute play by Scamp Theatre captures the essence of a young boy off to war and the difficult choices he has to make while on the front line.

It is storytelling at its best: simple, emotive and powerful. This should not be missed.

Private Peaceful at Theatre Royal Brighton until 6 October and then continues on tour

Photo credit: Theatre Royal Brighton

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