Oh, What a Lovely War! To 5 July
Derby
OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR!
by Theatre Workshop, Charles Chilton, Gerry Raffles and Members of the Original Cast
Derby Playhouse and Derby Playhouse Community Theatre to 5 July 2003
Runs: 2h 40m One interval
Mon-Sat 7.30pm
TICKETS: 01332 363275
Review: Jen Mitchell 7 June
An epic, heart-rending reminder of the First World War.In this 40th anniversary production of Joan Littlewood's groundbreaking anti-war musical, the talents of forty community performers and nine professional actors have been combined to produce a flawless piece of theatre.
This epic production takes us from pre-First World War Europe and the random act of killing that led to the war, to the closing scene of the troops returning home from the ensuing annihilation.
It opens in a music hall-style sing-song, the audience encouraged to join with renditions of classic first world war song, How easy it is to join in and how easy it must have been then, to be carried away be rousing tunes and propaganda.
The absurdity of the situation, visible only with hindsight, is delivered through the introduction of the 'war game', in which all the major players set out their plans for war.
Scenes of realism, pierrot, circus and music hall clash with great effect, rocketing us between the horror of the trenches and the continuation of life elsewhere. With little effort the idiocy of the Field Marshals and Generals is brought home to the audience.
Large scale musical numbers are conveyed by a strong cast of talented singers and with the delivery of the final heart-rending song, 'And we'll never tell them', there could not have been an audience member who remained unmoved.
The screens set high on either side of the stage are projected with images of propaganda posters, figures of losses in battles and photographic images from the trenches and serve as a constantly sobering reminder of why we are here.
Technically, the piece is hugely impressive, with a multi-levelled set, perfectly lit to reveal every mood and emotion.
Professional Cast:
Robert Austin
Simon Clark
Ray Gabbard
Trevor Jones
Shona Lindsay
Robin Polley
Adam Stafford
Poppy Tierney
Richard Winch
Community Company:
Janet Armstrong
Pat Ashcroft
Lesley Bright
Jayne Brooks
Tracy Butler
Julie Colley
Richard Davy
Diane Dawson
Lucy Dawson
Emma Dopson
Emma Edge
Vikki Fitt
Jeff Foster
Ron Frost
Lucy Galbraith
Sarah Gibbs
Pauline Green
Sali Gresham
Richard Harrison
Michelle Havil
John Highton
Michelle Jamieson
Jeannie Jordan
Jenny McBride
Graham Marriott
Carl Miller
Roger Milligan
Rob Morton
Anne Needham
Linda Pell
Terry Stevenson
Allan Thornewill
Rashpal Virk
Annie Winkler
Tim Winters
Directors: Stephen Edwards and Tim Arthur
Designer: Steven Richardson
Musical Director: Andrew Synnott
Community Musical Director: Lisa Cokayne
Choreographer: Caimin Collins
Lighting Designer: Alistair Grant
Sound Designer: Matt McKenzie
Video design and Programming: Kit Lane and David Phillips
2003-06-08 14:59:03