Private Peaceful, Ambassadors Theatre

Completing the NYT's trio of autumn shows (which include Macbeth and Selfie, a devised take on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray) comes Private Peaceful, which was first adapted for the stage by Simon Reade in 2004. The book earned dozens of accolades, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Prize and won a Blue Peter Book Award in the category of Book I Couldn't Put Down. It's now a staple of the English Literature curriculum, regularly studied in early secondary school and part of the Common Entrance reading list.
The story
Tommo and Charlie Peaceful are Devonshire brothers joined at the hip. They do everything together and in the end they sign up together as well, and try to protect one another in the dark of the trenches at the Front Line. The story is told from Tommo's perspective, recounting his life as he waits for a dawn firing squad. Love and loss are explored in this beautiful account of the First World War and its unforgettable injustices. "Maybe," says Tommo of Charlie, "I just didn't want him to have this adventure without me."
From page to stage...
The one-man version of Private Peaceful toured internationally and has since been turned into a blockbuster movie. Now the National Youth Theatre bring the rarely performed ensemble script to the Ambassadors Theatre, with a cast of fifteen. It's accompanied by traditional music and song. 
Private Peaceful contributed to the government's decision in 2006 to posthumously pardon soldiers who were court-martialled during the war. It's an incredibly important story told elegantly. And with a war that wiped out a generation of young people, it seems fitting that young actors and creatives are the ones who bring it to life.