APRIL 26 - MAY 1, BATH: Rudyard Kipling was one of the most prolific and enduring writers and a great English patriot.

David Haig plays Kipling in his own play which is a fascinating exploration of the man and his motives within the context of his family and the climate of a disintegrating British Empire, in which Kipling believed passionately.

Haig shows him as paternalistic, truly believing that the Empire was good for those who were colonised, and in many ways it was. The fact that Britain profited commercially simply proved how successful the deal was all round, he suggested.

Kipling brought up his children on tales of heroism and urged his son into the military, despite the fact that Jack's poor eyesight had made the Navy reject him and the Army turned him down three times.

As the First World War loomed Kipling used his influence in high places to get 18-year-old Jack a commission in the Irish Guards to the horror of Kipling's daughter Elsie and wife Carrie who saw no honour or glory in sending a virtual child to almost certain death.

He didn't bully his son and he certainly loved him dearly, but this play gives the impression he overwhelmed him with his own visions, never really gave him room to think for himself, or form his own opinions. And there is more than a hint that Jack went along with his father's desire to see him fight for King and country simply to get away from the suffocating family atmosphere, never imagining the horrors he would endure in the short remainder of his life.

There is a stunning scene in the trenches, for which the set is starkly magnificent. The noise and terror and filth are vivid.

Kipling senior is still maintaining that his son's sacrifice was glorious when his horrible death is described by a surviving member of his platoon.

Ben Silverstone gives a sensitive performance as Jack, an earnest young man eager to do the right thing as he has been brought up to envisage it, yet resentful of the control his father wields.

Belinda Lang portrays Rudyard's wife as an intelligent, complex woman who increasingly disagrees with his jingoistic stance.

There is very poignant moment after they finally accept that Jack is gone when it is clear they can offer no comfort to one another in their grief.

Rosanna Lavelle plays Jack's spirited sister Elsie, nicknamed Bird. She represents the views of the next generation to her father's. She challenges his views and his motives.

At times the play is frustratingly static but the performances are strong enough to keep you hanging in there for the story to move on.

It is at Bath until Saturday and worth an evening of anyone's time.

My Boy Jack by David Haig

Bath Theatre Royal