BE careful what you wish for, the old saying goes.

Carl Jackson is sleepwalking through life in a famous northern seaside town and joins the army in order to satisfy his appetite for excitement and adventure.

What he experiences changes his life forever and the consequences are, for anyone watching Britannia Waves The Rules, painful and tragic.

Like many lads I grew up on a diet of far fetched war comics and films totally bereft of German soldiers who could shoot straight. Gareth Farr’s powerful play, currently playing at the Royal Exchange Theatre, offers us a potent reminder, if any were needed, that casualties of conflict aren’t just the people who don’t survive it.

As Carl, Dan Parr’s performance really gets under your skin and you find yourself sharing the torment of an ultimately decent but psychologically scarred young man. Carl’s rant at an unfeeling and utterly disinterested officer near the end of the play is particularly memorable and Parr is definitely an actor to look out for.

So is writer Gareth Farr - his play is receiving its world premiere at the RET - as he writes from the heart. Voices like his must be heard in the theatre and when theatre is as good as this, it is deeply thought provoking. Compelling, if uncomfortable viewing at times.

* Until June 7, playing in repertory with The Last Days of Troy. The box office is on 0161 833 9833. Star rating - ****