National Theatre of Wales: Mametz

****1/2 Lost in Monmouthshire, a perfect antidote to the daily grind and certainly worth a 300 mile round journey. We join Cook's Battlefield Tours to remember the First Battle of the Somme and the 4000 38th Welsh souls that perished. Soldiers running through the long grass, zinc trenches and cattle sheds transformed. Songs, explosions and poetry linking today with those who fell a century ago. They are men and women just like us. The production is both individually human and epic too. When the order is given to go 'over the top' one is disappointed that there are but a handful of soldiers...but then, masterfully, the fourth wall is destroyed and we the 240 members of the audience join the throng. Pushing through the field towards Mametz Wood the sergeant screams at us to 'Hold the line'. Hearts beat ever faster and hairs stand on end. This is something special. We gather in a clearing and are reminded of death and loss. Powerful stuff and promenade at its best. I found myself being very critical, but this is often the case when confronted with powerful ideas and striking visuals; great ideas inspire and feed the imagination and now I long to stay in the woods.