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The
Theatreguide.London
Review
Oh What
A Lovely War
Theatre Royal Stratford East Spring 2014
It seems rather strange that this lovingly produced new version of Oh
What a Lovely War should have missed the musical's Golden Jubilee by a
matter of months. However, it is now billed as commemorating the
centenary of Joan Littlewood's birth, not to mention the start of that
tragic event which is always referred to without any irony as “The Great
War".
On opening night, a good number of audience members, including several
in the press contingent, were able to recollect that original production
51 years ago. For everyone else, especially the school parties who will
inevitably be invited to take part in this novel reinterpretation of
history, the experience will be slightly different but equally moving.
Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop has become legendary and, in part,
that is due to the savage irony of Oh What a Lovely War.
The
evening
starts with a gentle Pierrot show packed with corny jokes delivered with
dry aplomb by Sean Pendergast.
What feels like the start of a light-hearted evening continues through
the slapstick murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the political
shenanigans that eventually led to this war to end all wars.
However, once the soldiers reach the trenches, the character of the
evening changes forever, with neon surtitles proclaiming the number of
dead and wounded in each succeeding battle.
This is truly shocking and really brings home to viewers the terrible
cost of a four-year period that will seem to many 21st-century viewers
to have been completely pointless. However, who knows what might have
happened had the good guys not triumphed in 1918?
The evening contains enough of the history and politics to satisfy
teachers bringing their classes to Stratford but there is also a chance
for humanity to shine through. This is never more apparent than on a
silent Christmas night when two groups of soldiers who had earlier in
the day been trying to kill each other become unified in song and
schnapps for a few short minutes.
The magic of this musical entertainment that contains numerous songs of
the period, every single one jaunty enough to make one forget the
horrors that it is covering up, is that the original team, featuring
Joan Littlewood, Charles Chilton, Gerry Raffles and the cast managed to
create a perfect ensemble entertainment in which nobody, however
well-known, gets a disproportionate amount of the glory.
In some ways, that might make the casting of TV favourites Caroline
Quentin and Michael Simkins unnecessary. However, they do their bit
alongside a dedicated crew of performers who sing, dance and act their
hearts out.
In doing so, they pay appropriate tribute to a legendary piece of
theatrical history that still feels vibrant and important 51 years after
its initial production at Stratford East, prior to a mooted West End
transfer that would be equally well-deserved for Terry Johnson's
enjoyable revival.
Philip Fisher
Review
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Oh What A Lovely War - Theatre Royal Stratford East - 2014
