We attend the launch party for Syndrome, Jack Brett Anderson’s stunning directorial theatre debut
As we arrive at the W London, a wall of bright lights and camera flashes appear in front of us blinding the way in. The culprits are a glittering troupe of VIPs, actors and society figures who, having arrived moments before us, and are being swarmed by a gaggle of paparazzi and photographers eager to get a shot before the morning’s gossip papers. Excitement is in the air.
We make our way through and are received in the hotel’s brightly colored lobby by a beaming Jack Brett Anderson dressed in a sharp all-black suit, gesturing a server to quickly bring us a drink. He hands us a delicious Casa Amigos Mezcal cocktail and escorts us to meet playwright Tina Jay and their cast.
This is Jack’s first time on the other side of the theatre curtain as a director, manning the stage at Soho’s historic Tristan Bate’s Theatre and the buzz is palpable. Best known for his role in the BAFTA Award Winning BBC drama Wolfblood, Jack’s project caught the attention of The Gentleman’s Journal founder Harry Jarman (who is co-hosting this evening), not only for the event’s star power and glitz but in solidarity of the play’s important subject matter.
Syndrome follows a group of young soldiers that return from the first Gulf War with the psychological trauma and scars of first-hand experiences from war-torn conflict zones. The play’s poignant message reminds us that our men and women in military service carry the weight of PTSD for years beyond their time in conflict, affecting every aspect of their lives.
Supporting the event were society stalwarts such as Joshua Kane, Anastasia Higgins, Eyal Brooker, Antoin Commane, Todd Dorigo and Henry Conway.
Jack Brett Anderson 
Joshua Kane and Eyal Brooker 
Henry Conway 
Mark Ebulué and Alistair Guy
Syndrome will be on between the 18th – 29th February 2020
Tickets are available for purchase here.