The Rose of Jericho is the latest work by playwright Alex Martinez, and is a brutal and honest biography of an ex-army soldier. In the form of an aggressive and unapologetic one-man play, Kevin Hely plays the unnamed working class soldier. The upbringing of this character has been peppered with abuse and anger and we painstakingly listen to the vicious childhood memories that shape the complex figure that stands before us. Hely makes sharp eye contact with each member of the audience in turn while his character relays some of the darkest memories of his time, both at war and at home, and describes in detail the terrible sights that he has witnessed.

Martinez explores the idea that every cruel man, every street thug, even every perpetrator of domestic abuse has a story to tell, and that that story explains (but does not excuse) why they are the person they are today. This is intelligent writing and almost seems to be a play, like very few are, that I wonder might be more enjoyable to read than to watch. The stories that are being told are fascinating, however are so intense that hearing them all back to back, the overall impact lessens as each story progresses. Seeing each one acted out becomes a bit too much by the end. The character is bravely brought to life by Hely, but I imagine it to be a challenge for many in the audience to sit comfortably through an hour of such graphic language and content, and I must stress that you are given no time to rest; the plot begins and ends with the same level of crude intensity.

Overall the play lacks refinement in its delivery, and whether intentional or not it does somewhat take away from any sympathy we could potentially have had for this character. It is all just a little too one-dimensional and we crave some softness or relapse of the character halfway through – though that never comes. I acknowledge that this is honest and important theatre, bravely taken on by all involved, but I would be lying to say that it is a pleasing piece of performance. Impolite and uncensored, here is a character who is still deeply haunted by the torments of war; his his reason for much of the violence that he executes is “because ignorance makes you feel like shit”.

If the ethos of theatre is to inform and entertain it succeeds on 50 per cent of its purpose. Inform it does: it is original and revealing. Entertain, however – well, perhaps there is a slightly unnecessary over-prolific use of a certain profanity beginning in C and ending in T, or perhaps it is the overly aggressive nature in which it is delivered, but it does seem like one of those plays that was not written for our enjoyment.

The Rose of Jericho is playing at the King’s Head Theatre until 8 November. For more information and tickets, see the King’s Head Theatre website. Photo: Kings Head Theatre.