Audience Comments
JOURNEYS END by R.C. Sherriff
Some unsolicited audience reactions to Theatre Reviva!’s production, August 2018
“Leatherhead should be extremely proud to have such local talent on its doorstep”
“This was an extremely moving production and performance from a highly talented company” Prof. A. Bowman [Glasgow University]
“Saw it this evening. Just to congratulate you on an excellent production.” Graham F
“An outstanding job with the direction and casting.” Phil S
“What a show – I am blown away!” AP
“The play was wonderful; and the soundscape was perfect.” Kate H
“A resounding success!” Louisa B
“The play was awesome. VERY well done… all extremely moving.” MM
“Journey’s End was fab. So wonderful to see it come to life. Brilliantly acted, lovely touches, fabulous set… you had my friend in tears.” MG
“OMG! You should all be very proud xx.” Nicky O
“Very well done last night! The play was excellent…kept the audience gripped all night” CP
“Huge congratulations to director and colonel. What a great play with great cast.” KUDOS! CH [Cath Humphrys]
“Super performance! Well done the whole cast. My attention was held for the entire play. Loved it! Congratulations.” VW [Val Woolford ]
“Absolutely amazing performance. Blown away by the ending. So moving and poignant. Wow!!” AP [Ann Pickering]
“The play was awesome. VERY well done. All extremely moving. You should be in the West end.“ MM
“I would just like to say how much Caroline and I enjoyed Journey’s End last night. I have seen the play performed several times but this really was the best and most atmospheric production I have seen. Congratulations to you and your cast. The transfer of the curtain call to the parade in the foyer was a great idea.” PT (Paul Tweddle.)
“What an incredible show. Thank you for this. True West End quality in a regional theatre.
A show to remember… this should run and run” Mrs L B [L Beckman]
“A great performance. Thank you for a memorable evening.” LL [Louise Laudy]
“We left the theatre so stunned by what we had witnessed, my wife and I hardly spoke on the drive home. Magnificently performed by the cast, tragic, poignant and heart-rending were just some of the words that eventually came to mind. I’d recommend it to anyone…” GA [Geoffrey Austin]
“I just wanted to say how moved Paul and I were by the evening. Journey’s End is a favourite play of mine – my maternal grandfather lost a leg at Passchendaele so the sorrow and waste of the First World War have always resonated in our family. We found your production so powerful and beautiful. Thank you for a wonderful experience.” EW
(various) Anon:
“My partner and I thoroughly appreciated the show on Sunday night. It looked beautiful and the actors were all superb, and the unique curtain call was very effective. Well done to the entire team!”
“Great show tonight. Beautifully acted…”
“We had a great time with “Journey’s End” last night. Come & see it …”
“Very impressed” ,”Brilliant” ,”Beautifully directed” ,”I was gripped all night” ,”So professional”, “Excellent. Derrick and I thoroughly enjoyed it”, “A pulsating drama …” (various) Anon
Journey’s End – Leatherhead Parish Magazine
“A major emotional experience” was how one parishioner described Graham Pountney’s splendid production of R.C. Sheriff’s Journey’s End.
“The tensions and conflicting emotions during four days in a dugout in 1918 came across with forceful clarity in this anti-war classic.
We saw it in the Performing Arts Theatre of St. John’s School, before it transferred to the Leatherhead Theatre, and the close proximity of the action made it even more moving and dramatic. The characters were all excellently played, with complete credibility, and one shared their helplessness in face of the pointless loss of life.”
Proceeds from the play go to support the Royal British Legion, SSAFA and Combat Stress, and moving contributions from these charities reminded us that the armed services have still to cope with the traumas and suffering that war brings. The events R.C. Sherriff depicts came even closer to home when we learnt that he lived in Esher and served in the East Surrey Regiment in the Ypres Salient until 1917 when he was wounded in the battle of Passchendaele. AW