Saturday Matinee

Hugh Dancy and Justin Blanchard

Jen told me I had to see Journey’s End so of course, since she’s my most influential theater recommender, off I went. I was excited and also anxious because I didn’t know to expect from a show that was so critically acclaimed but not very popular. Being a play about soldiers in World War I, admittedly the subject matter did not grab my attention. But oh what a play.

Highly acclaimed as the best show on Broadway, it was a perfect theater experience. Gripping, powerful – It’s one of those shows that stays with me way past the time I get to see it, like Company. I’ve also realized that these are the shows that I don’t completely understand the first time I see it, mostly because it’s so layered and nuanced. I would love to see it again. And what other play could be so relevant in today’s time of war?

The play takes place in between the battles and raids on the front lines in WWI. You listen in on the conversations and the concerns, the dreams, and the personal demons of these officers in the midst of such tragedy. With the stage intimately lighted with candles, sometimes you had to strain to make out their faces. In this intimate setting, I felt like I could pull up a chair with them, and get swept up in their emotions. Jen knows how disturbed I was during certain scenes in the play! I felt like I was there. I was there!

This show reminds me of the idea that someone had, that the Tony’s should include an award for “Best Ensemble”. This show would win it hands down. There is no weak link in the entire cast. Boyd Gaines is “quietly overwhelming” as the Uncle of the group and brought me to tears as he prepared himself for a raid. Jefferson Mays was my favorite – he is such a natural talent, it was amazing what he could communicate to the audience with a look (e.g. his reaction when Trotter recited him a nonsensical poem). Stark Sands was also a standout, because he was Raleigh – fresh faced, and in awe of being there in the midst of war (as well as on the Broadway stage?). Justin Blanchard’s performance as Hibbert was absolutely riveting. As one fan said, his character “scares the hell out of me”, which always kept me at the edge of my seat. I never knew what to expect, and his extremes of emotions is such a crazy ride. Hugh Dancy was, admittedly, slightly disappointing. To be fair, his performance was extremely hyped. He plays the role of a tortured soul well, but… something about his performance I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s like looking at a portrait of a man in which you notice that his teeth are a bit too white. Dancy was a tad smooth-edged, a hint of a comfortable glint in his dark eyes, where it didn’t convince me entirely that he was the edge of a complete breakdown.

“[War]… It’s all so silly, isn’t it?”

My favorite scene in the play is when Stanhope (Dancy) is trying to convince Hibbert (Blanchard) to stay and fight the war without deserting his team. You see Hibbert going insane because he would rather die in shame than to stay in the uncertainty of war, with Stanhope equally desperately fighting to keep his precarious leadership and unity from falling to pieces around him. Stanhope presents a desperate plea to Hibbert that he should stay to fight with his fellow soldiers, with an explanation that makes sense yet makes no sense at all.

“D’you ever get a sudden feeling that everything’s going farther and farther away, till you’re the only thing in the world — and then the world begins going away, until you’re the only thing in the universe — and you struggle to get back — and can’t?”

My favorite picture below: the Journey’s End boys in a spoof of their own show, at the Easter Bonnet competition, where they pretend to be the Jersey Boys and make fun of their low ticket sales. “We Want You!” is in reference to their low ticket sales, in that they want you to be in their audience.

Lyrics from their song:

“We are playing to 3% capacity.
We have an intimate relationship with the audience…11 of us…11 of them.

No cute chicks, and only one real Brit,
Who would want to see our play?

What to Do?

Have Hugh Dancy do a shower scene
Put a puppet on your hand!
Choose our new leads on reality TV.

Riverdancing Feet!
Will put Butts in our Seat!
A show for the whole damn family.

Sell Outs Don’t Flop”