It Is Easy To Be Dead (Finborough Theatre)
You probably won’t have heard of the WWI poet Charles Hamilton Sorley. Sorley died aged only 20 at the Battle of Loos in 1915, having written poems and letters throughout his teenage years and his time at war. His writings would later impress the likes of Robert Graves, which makes his story all the more tragic. People thought highly of him before he had any time to really flex his literary muscles, let alone actually think of himself as a writer.
Neil McPherson has collated It is Easy to Be Dead from Sorley’s work, piecing various writings together into a play which gives a touching portrayal of a youthful, dynamic and brave soul. He spent time in Germany before the war, fell in love with his (married) German hostess and gained a strong respect for the country and its people. He was one of the first to sign up to fight for Britain in 1915, because he saw fighting for his country as his duty. But he didn't necessarily agree with the reasons for war.
Beginning the play with a telegram – a delivery that countless parents must have dreaded receiving during those years – McPherson has Sorley’s upright Scottish father and mother left with paper: the stained, fragile pages of their son’s legacy. After some hesitation – Sorley senior in particular finds it hard to share his son with the world – they publish them. The narrative weaves through their process of reading and discovering his work, while Charlie comes to life through the excellent Alexander Knox. He acts out the letters and speaks Sorley's poetry with a mix of endearing naivety, idealism and vibrancy. Sorley’s voice rings so clear and so full of life that by the end you can’t quite believe he is dead.
Interspersed with the text are songs sung by Hugh Benson at a piano played by Elizabeth Rossiter. There’s Vaughan Williams, Schubert and poems from Goethe and Brooke put to music. It brings a lovely rhythm to the show, which probably would have felt a little too biography-heavy without them. On the back wall are arresting projections of Sorley’s friends – pictures of grey and blurry young men, shown alongside the date on which they fell. It’s sad, but the music and the journey of Sorley’s parents – the way they slowly come to terms with their loss – fills the stage with hope.
It Is Easy To Be Dead is a little gem. It will introduce a remarkable man to people who had not heard of him before. But it is also a poignant study of loss and the great waste of war.
It is Easy to Be Dead runs at the Finborough Theatre until 9 July.
