Nicholas Wright’s adaptation of Pat Barker’s Regeneration is the latest in a long(ish) line of plays to do with the First World War. Far from the mud and trenches it is set in a military hospital near Edinburgh where officers are sent to recover from shell-shock and other mental problems resulting from the horrors of the battlefield.

The story centres on the relationship between war-poets Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves and Wilfred Owen, but it is much more than that. It deals with (of course) the immorality of war and the (then) refusal to accept that not all the injuries are physical. It deals with the poets’ belief that they have a moral duty to speak out and portray the truth. It delves into the old class issues – are private soldiers more likely to suffer from shell-shock (aka malingering) than their public school officers. It deals with how a working-class officer fits in, it deals with ….. in fact I thought it tried to deal with too much and consequently none of the issues were dealt with in any great depth. Although there were several very telling moments I found the relationship between the poets to be rather flat and uninspiring, lacking the spark and commitment to make their subsequent influence and significance believable. I have not read the book so I cannot say where its emphasis lay but for me, in the play, the poets were rather short-changed.

Undoubtedly the best scene, and the one with the strongest dramatic impact, was at the beginning of the second half. In a scene eerily similar to the interrogation sequence in the recent production of 1984 a soldier is being “tortured” out of his shell-shock induced muteness and forced to talk again. This was powerful and disturbing stuff especially for the kindly, liberal and progressive Captain Rivers who witnesses it. Stephen Boxer was excellent as the psychiatrist Captain who treated the poets and it was he who was the cement that held the play together. I really liked the music by Stuart Earl that played over the scene-changes and Alex Eales’ design and Lee Curran’s lighting, although drab and monochrome, had a simple beauty and optimism to them.

Regeneration was a beautifully presented production with some outstanding performances and poignant moments but for me it lacked the necessary focus and commitment to make it a truly satisfying experience.     ★★★☆☆   Michael Hasted