David Thaxton and Neil McDermott in Only the Brave at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Picture: Helen Maybanks
Only the Brave continues at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff until 2 April.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Set against the background of the Second World War and based on a little-known true story of one of the dramatic events leading up to the D-Day landings, Only the Brave, from the book by Rachel Wagstaff, follows the fortunes of a group of airborne troops – and in particular their captain, who has come up through the ranks – as they train for, and ultimately embark on, what must surely be one of the most dangerous missions of the conflict.
Alongside this is an insightful sub-plot centring on the wives and girlfriends left behind, doing their best to contribute to the war effort and keep smiling. Can there be more? Yes, there can – the action moves to France where Isabelle, a young French girl working in a café, is determined to join the Resistance and help the Allies.
The themes are multitudinous and come thick and fast – love, friendship, and the bravery on many fronts of both men and women called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. One might be forgiven for thinking that all this is too much at times. However, a team of world-class creatives headed by Welsh-born composer Matthew Brind, and including director/lyricist Steve Marmion, handles every aspect with a sure and delicate touch, extending to the injections of earthy – on occasion, crude – and typically British humour along the way (necessary in a piece of musical theatre focusing on such momentous and serious issues).
As Captain John Howard, David Thaxton proves his mettle, coming into his own early in Act I when he introduces himself to his men in a session in the boxing ring. He also impresses in the scenes when he subjects the soldiers to rigorous training in preparation for their hazardous mission – to go in by glider to take the Pegasus Bridge in Normandy, in the hands of the Germans in occupied France in 1944.
Thaxton succeeds in portraying the complexity of the man. The Captain fails to realise, or is unable to express, that his men sometimes need a break, and as a result he is hauled over the coals in no uncertain manner by his Lieutenant – a first-class performance here by Neil McDermott, in fine voice as Lieutenant Denham Brotheridge.
Back home, the Captain’s pregnant wife, Joy Howard, struggles to come to terms both with his absence and the difficulty of finding work. Caroline Sheen is in fine voice in her solo ‘Just Because’ in Act I and in ‘When I Close My Eyes’, in Act II, sung by Joy together with Maggie Brotheridge (Emilie Fleming) and Isabelle (Nikki Mae).
Mae’s performance as the young French girl intent on revenge for the death of her mother at the hands of the Nazis is outstanding to the extent of being heart-breaking at times.
Some great more-than-cameo roles mong the men include Thomas Aldridge as Wally Parr, a former window cleaner who learns to fire a gun, and Gwydion Rhys – there had to be a Welshman in a musical which originated in Wales – as the dilatory Davey Lawrence.
Much of the atmosphere effectively engendered throughout is due to Dick Straker’s clever use of video projection, coupled with Malcolm Rippeth’s brilliant lighting, both of which are used brilliantly in enhancing the tension of the final scenes.
As might be expected in a musical that covers so much ground, the main fault is that too much is packed into a single scene on stage, making it difficult to watch, but this is surely not too difficult to rectify.
Overall, one feels that Only the Brave has the potential to go far. This is the first musical on this grand scale to come from Wales but – if the performance I witnessed is anything to go by – it bears all the pointers towards the West End.
The appearance on stage at the premiere of World War veteran Peter Davies, who served with the Royal Armoured Corps and the East Riding Yeomanry, was the icing on the cake.
Barbara Michaels
Readers may also be interested in:
Interview – Caroline Sheen stars in new British musical Only the Brave
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.