Our Boys, Childhood Characters and Wartime Stories

November 8, me, Autumn, and Tayler took a trip to Covent Garden to see an original British play called Our Boys. This play is about a group of six young army men recovering from traumatic war wounds in an army hospital during the 1980's. It starred Matthew Lewis, Arthur Darvill, Cian Berry, Jolyon Coy, Laurence Fox, and Lewis Reeves.
This is the poster for the production:

We wanted to see this play for a few reasons: one being the fact that Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies, and Arthur Darvill, who played Rory in the BBC show Doctor Who, were starring, another being that the reviews we'd heard had nothing but good things to say.

After seeing this play, I feel like I know more about the hardship soldiers go through recuperating from severe wounds, from having to amputate a finger, to recovering from a shot to the head and severe brain damage. It would have me holding my sides laughing at one moment, then one line would instantly change the mood from playful to heartbreaking. Seeing those men trying to cope with the fact that they might not be able to go back into the army, their only means of supporting themselves, and going through the pressure of keeping it together through depression and doubt really made a lasting effect on me. Once you see something like this, your view on war is completely changed. The ending almost had me in tears, I was so invested in these characters. The actors did a brilliant job, and Jonathan Lewis, the playwright, created a truly remarkable work.

Here's a trailer for the play, with reactions from the audience:

And here's a couple pictures of me with two of my favorite actors from my favorite show and movies!
Matthew Lewis:

 And Arthur Darvill:

It was a marvelous night for someone who loves geeky things like Harry Potter or Doctor Who, and for anyone who's interested in brilliant, compassionate plays.

Rachel Talaber