A drama about the lives of two of our greatest-ever war poets doesn’t exactly suggest a jolly evening out. And it isn’t. But forgoing frivolity is a small price to pay for this stunning adaption of Stephen MacDonald’s play, brilliantly performed by two actors from Bersted Arts.

Beautiful, profoundly moving, fascinating and compelling, director Jonathan Goodwin zooms in on the relationship between Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Meeting while they were both patients at Craiglockhart, a place where soldiers whose mental health had been so crippled by the Great War were dispatched to recover, at this point Sassoon was already a published poet of some note. ‘Disappeared’ for being rather too voluble about the futility and outrageous cruelty of the war, he encouraged budding poet Owen during their short but intense time together at the hospital for the shell shocked. Here, while the relentless slaughter of young men continued on the battlefield, friendship and love grew swiftly; two souls made a pitch-perfect connection.

There are no hiding places for two actors in a 90 minute played-thru production. James Etheridge as Owen and Will Hackett as Sassoon have no need of them. Individually their performances are excellent; emotionally intelligent, fulsome and layered. Together they are electrifying. Sensitive and assured, there is as much poetry in Etheridge and Hackett’s elegant portrayals as there is to be found in the works of the men they play. Piercing hearts and tear ducts, the prolonged applause when the curtain fell was entirely deserved.

Aided by Stephen Hackshaw’s ambient and emotive score, Goodwin has done a magnificent job of pulling together a tremendous piece of theatre. He is also responsible for the effective set and lighting design

The tragedy, of course, is that while Sassoon and Owen’s poetry remains potent, as a race we persist in warfare. Still the blood-spilling lunacy continues. Which makes providing platforms for plays like Not About Heroes all the more important. Bravo to Arun Arts for programming this gem, and here’s hoping that other smart programmers will pick it up.

War as a central subject is undeniably bleak. The sheer quality of this production, however, will not fail to lift your heart.

Update: Good news! This production is set for a return to the stage in 2022. Watch this space…