An unqualified joy, a breath of fresh air and the absolutely perfect way to spend a late spring evening at the theatre.
Arms and The Man may have been the first of Bernard Shaw’s plays ever to be staged publicly way back in 1894 but quite frankly, it feels like it could have been written yesterday.
It is bright and breezy, witty and silly, romantic and poignant, populated by characters who make a first impression that often proves to be completely contrary to their true nature.
The relevance and freshness of the play owes a little to the wartime background to the story - the Balkan conflict of 1885/86 may have been Shaw’s inspiration but 21st century audiences will have more recent troubles in that part of the world brought to mind.
And the many references to the Russians inevitably give rise to thoughts of the current crisis in Ukraine, made all the more startling by the realisation that Shaw was writing for audiences for whom the Crimean War was still a very vivid memory.
None of which detracts at all from the fact this is first and foremost a glorious romantic comedy, every bit as beguiling and seductive as the best of Richard Curtis’ big screen work.
Because at the end of the day, it’s all about love, actually!
But let’s get straight to the cast - the Mold venue always provides us with an array of talent to savour but director Emma Lucia has assembled a company that is note perfect for this sublime production.
I defy any male not to fall head over heels for Antonia Kinlay’s captivating portrayal of naive heroine Raina whose childish view of wartime heroism is challenged by a late night invasion of her Bulgarian boudoir by an escaping Swiss soldier who prefers to go into battle armed with sweets rather than bullets.
That ‘chocolate cream soldier’ is Captain Bluntschli, magnificently played by Daniel Hawksford as a sensible, down to earth but effortlessly charismatic professional soldier who knows when to fight and when to flee.
His rival in love and war is the ridiculously pompous and preening Major Sergius Saranoff who cannot walk into a room without striking a preposterous pose or spend more than a couple of minutes before practising a sword thrust.
But while we are all too ready to mock what seems like a villainous caricature, in the skilful hands of actor Daniel Llewellyn-Williams we come to realise there is far more to this man than meets the eye and he is by no means as blind to the horrors of the battlefield as we might at first believe.
Backing them up superbly are Michelle Luther as sultry but aspirational maid Louka, Sian Howard impressing again as Raina’s exasperated mother, the welcome return to the Mold stage of Robert Blythe as Raina’s battle-weary father and Simon Holland Roberts as the delightfully pragmatic servant Nicola.
On top of all this, there is a set change from Raina’s bedroom to the exterior of her family’s home that deserved a standing ovation in itself!
Interestingly, Shaw’s play debuted just a year before Oscar Wilde unveiled The Importance of Being Earnest for the first time.
There are occasions when the lightness of touch employed by Shaw seems to resemble Wilde’s classic - but the themes and characters of Arms and the Man resonate more profoundly than concerns over cucumber sandwiches and handbags.
It can be seen in the Anthony Hopkins Theatre at Clwyd Theatr Cymru until May 24.
