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I\u2019m lucky to have a really good theatre not far away. I\u2019m guilty of not making the most of it, so booked up to see one or two things this spring.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n This week I went to see Oh What a Lovely War. For those of you who don\u2019t know, it\u2019s a musical play featuring songs from World War One set in the context of an end of pier entertainment show. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n When I was at college, back in the dark ages, I was in a production of it. It\u2019s staged with a backdrop featuring pictures from the war, along with some startling and sobering statistics. When I was on stage, I couldn\u2019t understand why it was so hard to raise a laugh. It may well have been the quality of my acting! However, I prefer to think it might have had more to do with the juxtaposition of the fiercely jolly songs with graphic images of what a shell can do to a soldier. It\u2019s one reason why the musical haunts you \u2013 and is powerfully anti-war.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I saw a Theatre Royal Stratford East revival of the musical which first saw light in 1963. Scripted by the legendary Joan Littlewood, it makes use of authentic material from the war \u2013 Haig\u2019s speeches and songs which soldiers adapted; the lyrics of which have a certain gallows humour. It\u2019s a play which doesn\u2019t hide its politics and is unashamedly on the side of the \u2018lions led by donkeys\u2019 theory of World War One. I laughed, cried and ended up freshly angry at the waste of life. We seem to teeter on the edge of war upon war in the 21<\/span>st<\/span><\/sup> century and it\u2019s depressing to realise the message of the play is still relevant 50 years after it was created.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s an ensemble piece with Wendi Peters, Christopher Villiers and Ian Reddington leading a strong cast in the current production. Here’s the link to more information:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n