Today is the centenary of the Great War; a seemingly purposeless conflict that saw for the first time mechanised slaughter on an epic scale. The stories of the suffering and the bravery of the people who fought and suffered then are now a part of our national consciousness. I have always been moved by the event and particularly the poetry of that time; particularly, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, and I did in fact write two plays about that war – Dead Wood and A Miracle In No Man’s Land. The latter play was commissioned by the late, great Peter Cheeseman of the New Victoria Theatre in Stoke, but as it was such a large cast, he tried in vain to try and get a joint production with other regional theatres in the Midlands. The radio producer, Sue Wilson loved the play and decided to lend a hand by staging a reading of it at the BBC studios in Pebble Mill, and when no representatives from local theatres showed up, she commissioned a radio version, in which I played the lead role and gleaned fantastic reviews from the national press. I tried in vain to interest theatres and TV/film companies in these two plays leading up to the centenary year and sent them all over the place – when I did actually get a reply it was generally positive, but mostly I didn’t even receive an acknowledgement, and it seemed most theatre companies and broadcasters had already planned ahead too, commissioning new plays and such like, including Red Planet Pictures, who have a major series on our screens soon, which given their previous track record, I am sure will be brilliant. But as I am so passionate about that subject matter I did try really hard to try and get some interest; I even sent Jeremy Paxman the play as he had made a few programmes about the conflict! Anyhow, if anyone would like to hear a small segment, here is a link to a minute or two of the play on my website together with a few other voice clips: http://www.alex-jones.org/alex_jones_listen.html And below is a short synopsis of A Miracle In No Man’s Land, plus some reviews…
Play Synopsis
Radio play and unproduced stage play - Radio 4, 15.12.97. Repeat, Radio 7, December 2006.
A soldier on the Western Front accused of desertion claims a vision of Christ commanded him to lay down his arms and abandon the war... Joseph Taylor, an army deserter during the First World War is ridiculed when he tells his court martial that a vision of Jesus Christ caused him to walk from the foul carnage of the battlefield. His chaplain, Captain Simpson believes him however and eagerly defends him with the result that Taylor is miraculously spared the death sentence, but as Simpson discovers, Taylor is not the innocent he seems. A play that is dramatic and moving, both about the brutalities of war and the nature of faith - contributing to the debate on pardons for deserters and the effects of prolonged battle on the health of ordinary soldiers, that is sadly still something of an issue today.
Play Reviews
Radio 4, 15.12.97. Repeat, Radio 7, December 06.
Radio Times - Radio Choice: Accused of desertion on the Western Front in 1917. Joseph Taylor faces a mandatory death sentence. But at his court martial, he claims he was commanded to lay down his arms after seeing a vision of Jesus Christ in no-man's land. The drama's author, Alex Jones stars as the accused man.
Daily Mail - Radio Choice: Loosely speaking, Alex Jones's A Miracle In No Man's Land is a Christmas play, because it is set on the Western Front in December 1917 when carols softened the rattle of the machine guns. Jones himself plays the army volunteer accused of desertion after claiming that he met Christ on the battlefield and was commanded by him to lay down his arms - a super performance in a super play, I don't believe Sue Wilson's direction has been equalled in radio drama during 1997. Peter Davalle.
The Express - Radio choice: Alex Jones's play about a deserter who claims to have seen Christ on the First World War battlefield starts slowly, but builds to a compulsive drama about faith and killing from a soldier's point of view.
The Stage - Radio Choice: The nature of theological belief versus the acrid stench of war was powerfully examined in A Miracle In No Man's Land for Radio 4. Alex Jones co-starred with Christopher Scott.
The Guardian - Radio Choice: It's hard to understand Radio 4's decision to abandon 90 minute dramas. What, after next spring, will the network do with splendid productions like Alex Jones's A Miracle In No Man's Land? The author plays the war-weary First World War private who tells a disbelieving court martial he deserted because Christ appeared on the battlefield bidding him stop the war. The text brilliantly captures the mood of the period and the performances are first-rate. Harold Jackson.
Daily Telegraph - Radio Choice: Just before Christmas on the Western Front in 1917, Captain Simpson (Christopher Scott) is ordered to defend Joseph Taylor (Alex Jones) a Black Country soldier who says he's had a vision of Christ bidding him to lay down his arms. The court martial doesn't believe him. But a miracle has happened. Gillian Reynolds.
Daily Mail Weekend - Radio Choice: When a World War 1 deserter claims divine guidance, is it A Miracle In No Man's Land? Alex Jones's Monday Play contributes to the debate on pardons for deserters. * Recommended. LO'C.
The Observer - Radio choice: In The Monday Play - A Miracle In No Man's Land, Joseph Taylor, an army deserter during the First World War, is ridiculed when he tells his court martial that a vision of Jesus Christ caused him to walk away from the foul carnage of the battlefield. His chaplain, Captain Simpson (Christopher Scott) believes him however and eagerly defends him with the result that Taylor is 'miraculously' spared the death sentence, but Simpson eventually discovers, Taylor (Alex Jones, who also wrote the play), is not the innocent he seems. Stephanie Billen.
A sample call from BBC Daily Log - Re. A Miracle In No Man's Land: "Absolutely superb. The best thing I've heard in years." Mr. Penton, Poole.
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