Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a dauntless document of love and war, 20 Jul 2004
This play presents the tale of two men who are both, in their different ways, broken by their experiences of war, and the effecst that this has on their art. Owen and Sassoon, especially the former, have become symbols of the doomed youth of the Great War, and it is to them that we turn in order to discover the true realities of war today. We can no longer listen seriously to the solemn, romantic young heroism of the likes of Rupert Brooke, as we know that his perspective was the product of an inexperienced mind, blissfully unaware of the nightmare into which he was being sent when he died (of septicemia in 1915).
By exploring the effects of modern warfare on the psyche of two individuals, this play gives us insight into the nature of war and the trauma it brings, and makes us wonder just how much the world could benefit from listening properly to these historic nay-sayers.
The relationship between Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen comprises the heart of the play, and remains mysterious and ambiguous; it is given interesting exploration by MacDonald. The relationship certainly had a profound effect on the young, nervous Owen, whose poetry developed wonderfully under Sassoons' watchful(and sometimes critical)eye. The tale of these two poets is therefore important in giving us insight into the shaping of some of the great war poems of our times, and why they were written: to show the pity of war in Owens case, and something like the horrific lunacy in Sassoons, as far as possible.
This play is sometimes amusing, sometimes moving, tragic and always memorable. The characters are well portrayed, their own mannerisms and personality traits well illustrated through dialogue and stage directions, as well as frequent extracts of Sassoon and Owens' poetry, which complements the dialogue and character interaction.
This play gives us a picture of how deep friendships can be formed in awful circumstances, and the necessity for love and and humanity to endure through the darkness and find immortality.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A deeply moving play, 12 Dec 2001
This play tells the story of two of the great poets of the first world war. Siefreid Sassoon and Wilfred Owen meet while recovering at the Craiglockhart military hospital for mental trauma (shell shocked officers). The story is told partly in 'flashback' as Sassoon refllects on their friendship. Owen begins as a fan of Sassoon's poetry and they gradually build up their friendship polishing Owen's work for publication. The play contains some beautiful language, not just the poetry, and illustrates the pointless nature of war and the way in which it destroys anything of Beauty..
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect radio/tv/theatre drama, 2 Feb 2004
Not About Heroes must be one of the most underrated and underused First World War plays ever (probably) It tells of the coincidental meeting between two poets, one already established as such (Siegfried Sassoon) and one desperately wanting to be (Wilfred Owen)and if you, like me, have never experienced a war this play will silence you voluntarily on Remembrance Day.
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by Peter Whelan
by Susan Hill
by Robert Cedric Sherriff
by Pat Barker
by "Theatre Workshop"
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