My Boy Jack - Review A Tavonians Theatre Company production

My Boy Jack  - Review

A Tavonians Theatre Company production

‘Brilliant’  - the first and most expressive word that sprang to mind as the curtain fell on the Tavonians’ recent drama production and clearly similarly felt by all in the audience who gave a standing ovation.

For those not familiar with the play My Boy Jack, it is based on a poem of the same title by Rudyard Kipling after losing his son in the First World War.  It is an emotional and moving account of those who saw their loved ones off to fight a miserable war and the tragic aftermath of guilt and loss by those remaining.

With the skill of a professional theatre director, Stuart Waterworth produced a play that totally transported the audience from the comfort of the relatively austere Victorian Kipling home to the battlefield trenches of Loos, France. His use of simple scenery and clever props ensured the audience felt the full emotional force of loss and grief experienced by Kipling and his family.

The cast members although few in number, were worthy of any professional theatre company with not only exceptional timing, good stage placement and presence but also an interaction with each other that left the audience feeling they were witnessing reality rather than a ‘staged play’.  Two particularly outstanding performances came from Tim Randell who played the part of Rudyard Kipling and Paul Ffitch as Guardsman Bowe.  Within moments of the play starting the audience was transfixed and beguiled by Tim’s portrayal of Kipling whose performance would not have looked out of place amongst those of the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Paul as Guardsman Bowe gave an extraordinarily moving account of the death of Kipling’s son Jack whilst fighting in France – all in an extremely convincing Irish accent.

I have only been privileged to see a handful of Tavonians productions over the years, but can safely say that if future productions are of this standard I very much look forward to being first in line for tickets for their next production The Railway Children in November.

Lizzie Watt

Editor – Moor Links & Tavy Links