Testament of Youth

Guildhall, Bury St Edmunds

What an amazing and raw insight Rohan McCullough gave us about the horrors of the trenches in the first world war.

Rohan took on the role of Vera Brittain whose book, Testament of Youth, was published in 1933 and is based on her diaries from the age of 18.

Vera had everything a girl could want at that time, but she was sad to be a woman in a man's world. She fought this despite her parents' wishes that she should merely marry.

Rohan's performance is quite stunning. She speaks not only through her voice but actions, tears and occasional excitement.

Perhaps more than anything it is through her eye contact with the audience she portrays the message most vividly.

You wait for the inevitable bad news from the front line, and one by one her fiancé and best friends are all killed.

As Vera does, you find yourself questioning the true cost of war.

It was a full house for this touring production promoted by the Theatre Royal at Bury St Edmunds.