The Long and the Short and the Tall

Deep in the Malayan jungle a platoon of inexperienced British soldiers on a routine patrol find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and hopelessly outnumbered. Their situation is complicated further when they capture a young Japanese soldier. As the play builds to its dramatic climax, the raw recruits find themselves confronted by harrowing, life-changing decisions.

This gripping account of the terrors and choices of war catapulted Peter O’Toole to stardom when it premiered in 1959 at the Royal Court. Since then, Willis Hall’s masterpiece, The Long and the Short and the Tall has assumed a maturity and resonance that confronts today’s issues with razor sharp precision and wit.