It’s 1941 and US soldiers wait on the peaceful islands of Hawaii.

Miles from anywhere they spend their days training in the Pacific sun. Their nights are spent boozing and visiting the nearest girls in 3000 miles.

The arrival of Pvt. Prewitt causes something of a stir within the G company. Rumour has it he was A Company’s top boxer, which is a pretty big deal to a group of guys who spend most of their time boxing. 

But when Prewitt refuses to fight, how will the G Company react?

Based on the novel by author James Jones, From Here To Eternity (directed by Brett Smock), is set in the weeks leading up to the December 7th 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour. It’s a musical hit filled to the brim with scandal, intrigue and ultimately, tragedy. 

The ever diverse Charing Cross Theatre is taken over by the G Company, which features all the usual suspects you’d imagine in a WW2 story. At the centre we’ve got Private Prewitt, desperately in love with Lorene and hoping to steal her away from her Madam, Mrs Kipfer. Brooklyn-born Maggio is the cheeky life and soul of the party, but his secret second life spells ill news for the young soldier. And we have the Warden, who is enthralled in a forbidden affair with Karen, none other than the ruthlessly ambitious Captain Holmes’ wife.

From Here To Eternity hasn’t been seen in the West End since 2013 and returns with a fresh take on the story. At two and a half hours long (with an interval) and multiple overlapping storylines, the story telling feels at times a stretched a tad thin. Fortunately though, goosebump inducing numbers save the day.

Jonathon Bentley takes on the role of Pvt. Prewitt to show off his vocal range as he belts out songs like Fight The Fight and 30 Year Man. These musical numbers, paired with his chemistry with Desmonda Cathabel’s Lorene are enough to make even the sturdiest Disney prince crumble with self doubt. 

Let’s take a minute to appreciate the music, brought to the stage by Stuart Brayson and Tim Rice. The ballads throughout convey the feelings of the characters as loudly as possible, and for a musical, dance gives way to synchronised choreography. The G Company ensemble are joined by stage veteran Eve Polycarpou as Mrs Kipfer, whose list of theatre credits are almost as long as the first act of the play. Polycarpou dominates the stage as the fearsome Madame in I Know What You Came For, but it’s Jonny Amies’ ill-fated Maggio who steals the show with I Love The Army.

If the ripped torso of a US soldier on the production posters didn’t give it away, there’s certainly an eyeful of the G Company to get your attention as the cast flaunt their physiques and strut around in their undies. From Here To Eternity also covers a lot of ground as projectors countdown the days before the attack. In between secret rendezvous, training exercises and a surprise gay storyline, there’s a bittersweet suspense, because unlike the characters we are just getting to know, the audience already knows how it ends. 

From Here To Eternity returns to London for a limited 6 week run at the Charing Cross Theatre from 29th October – 17th December 2022. Tickets available here.

Images by Mark Senior