It's difficult to imagine what life was like in August 1939. War grew ever closer as the Munich Agreement lay in tatters. Hitler had annexed Austria and invaded Czechoslovakia. The Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact had been signed. Army reservists had been called up and civil defence workers were placed on alert. Poland would fall to Nazi tyranny in a matter of weeks. Any chance that brinkmanship might save the day were all but extinguished. Yet life went on at least for the time being. The Football League season had just started and people flocked to the theatre, cinema and music hall. This play by David Greig presents an intriguing story set against the prelude to war.

The outlying Islands of the Hebrides seem blissfully untouched by the impending breakdown of civilisation. Robert (Bruce Langley) and John (Fred Woodley-Evans) are two scientists sent by the Ministry with a simple brief, to study and document the island's birdlife. However, doubts about the true purpose of their mission soon take root. Especially when they encounter the island's leaseholder, the lugubrious and mysterious Kirk (Kevin McMonagle). But they are pleasantly diverted by Kirk's niece Ellen (Whitney Kehinde). She beguiles both men and they quickly become smitten by her. Their studies continue in a desolate landscape, but with little to calm the anxiety and sense of foreboding that grows increasingly stronger.

A verbose and ponderous script fails to properly unpack an intriguing plot. It doesn't highlight the play's origins in fact, which seems to be a missed opportunity. There are long passages of dialogue that are superfluous and unduly abstract. Two and a half hours is a big ask for a play that doesn't begin to fill that space with any real depth. There are few plays that can successfully operate within this timeframe, and is really creeping into Death of a Salesman territory. Much of the second act is conducted with the lights dimmed and does nothing to enhance the dramatic tension, which was surely the purpose. The saving grace is a bright and talented cast who manage to elicit a fair number of laughs from a distinctly dry script. The running time is crucial for any production whether it be on stage or screen. This play would have been stronger with more ruthless editing, and is ideally suited to the 90-minute format. However, it's the actors who ultimately get this play over the line.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Brian Penn

Outlying Islands plays at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre until 15 March, with further info here.