Theater review: All is Calm at NC Stage Company

Certain theatrical productions end with audience members on their feet, clapping and cheering as the performers take their curtain call bows. But at the conclusion of All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 — at N.C. Stage Company through Sunday, Dec. 22 — a far more somber, yet no less genuine appreciation awaits the dozen men who vividly bring to life this emotionally rich true story.

Indeed, in the wake of this harrowing dramatic experience, any response above catatonic stillness feels like the equivalent of Beatlemania hysterics as theatergoers process the powerful, thought-provoking tale of opposing World War I factions pressing “pause” on the battlefield to bond for a few hours over what they have in common.

Clocking in at just over an hour with no intermission to break up the enchanting flow, Peter Rothstein’s play transports attendees into the trenches on the Western Front via the words of soldiers who were there.

Delivering these engaging quotes is the winning trio of Steve McConnell, Adam Kampouris and Willie Repoley, positioned at the front of the stage and dressed in military garb. Though their specialties are a range of British accents, they also prove adept at French and German intonations, and one never knows which nationality will pop up next.

However, what truly makes All is Calm special is the backing chorus of nine men, who spiritedly sing a cappella military favorites such as “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag” while the realities of war dawn on these idealistic young enlistees who tragically assumed the conflict would be over by Christmas.

Richard Blue, Gabriel Coll-Battencourt, John Hall, W.A. Lampley, Glenn Lawson, David Leader, Mark Lieberman, Jonathan Ross and Nick Toner each shine when their turn to solo arrives. And though the printouts on the music stands before them assist their endeavors, the confidence with which they hit their marks suggests significant independent talent as well as pinpoint guidance in rehearsals from musical director Simone Bernhard and show director Charlie Flynn-McIver.

In tandem with black-and-white images projected on a rear-stage screen and a sonic filter that adds a ghostly vibe to the proceedings — both of which were designed by Flynn-McIver — the actors and vocalists (some of whom prove just as dramatic as the actors) strike a captivating tone of melancholy and resilience that brings the horrors of war vividly to life.

The effect is similar to that of Peter Jackson’s 2018 documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, in which the Oscar-winning filmmaker and his team colorized footage of World War I soldiers and paired it with archival interviews with British World War I veterans.

But whereas that film’s combination of video and disembodied voices fosters a sense of anonymity among its subjects, All is Calm puts humanity first, giving a face to these figures — even if it’s merely three actors doing their damndest to embody an assortment of colorful characters.

That dexterity is most fully on display during the Christmas Eve scene, in which all nationalities present at this historical moment on the Western Front are represented in spoken and musical form.

As the inconceivable occurs and men, who minutes before were shooting at each other, emerge from the trenches and exchange holiday gifts and pleasantries as if they were old friends, the mood turns appropriately festive with Christmas carols sung in various languages. For a few tear-jerking theatrical minutes (truncating the handful of hours these so-called enemies actually spent together in real life, culminating in a highly competitive soccer game), the insanity of combat subsides, and the potential for peace and fellowship is manifested by the inherent goodness that resides in all of us.

Flynn-McIver and his performers capture those conflicting sentiments exceedingly well, and as the fighting inevitably resumes, making those moments of international brotherhood feel like a distant dream, the duality of man is laid bare, left to fester on the No Man’s Land barbed wire for all to see.

So, yes, bring a pack of tissues to All is Calm and prepare to head back to the world feeling a bit raw. But in doing so, you’ll be changed for the better and a little more in tune with humanity — transformed by that unmistakable alchemy known as a great theater production.

WHAT: All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
WHERE: N.C. Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane, Asheville, ncstage.org
WHEN: Through Sunday, Dec. 22. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Sundays at 2 p.m. $5-$45.