(seen at the afternoon performance on 25th November 2023)
This was the monkey’s first encounter with the show since its high school days – a time when the memories of both wars were still fresh in the minds of those who survived; who could speak of those lost and say “for your tomorrow, we gave our today.” A sentiment it wholeheartedly endorses.
Beyond the rather overblown and (to its mind) over-praised movie version, it hadn’t thought of that Tower Theatre semi-professional version since. So, it came to this professional one from Blackeyed Theatre and South Hill Park with only a pale memory of World War One songs done in Pierrot parody style.
Six talented actor / musicians deliver a history of 1914 to 1918 from all sides and ranks. British and German, Tommy and General, using popular songs of the era.
Victoria Spearing produces a mud-brown canvas flap set, suitably trench-like. Clive Elkington projects the expected photographs of soldiers and advertisements of the era, but above it adds horrific captions. Statistics of battles fought, the number of men lost (million at a time, tens of thousands an hour) and the yardage gained (invariably nil). That shocks to the core, the final total in particular.
Naomi Gibbs has the company dressed as a crazy troupe of players, a striking ring-master outfit, glamourous trapeze artiste, showgirl, clowns. A khaki hat, sash, white coat and they are soldiers, nurses, Irish recruits to the grinder.
It’s called “a musical entertainment by Joan Littlewood” and was improvised in 1963 from an idea originally heard as a radio play. Opening as a “war game” the whole thing becomes deadly serious as we reach the trenches and settle in for the long haul.
Moral is initially high, eager recruits sign up and “I’ll Make a Man of You” is the promise.
Christmas in the trenches is the turning point, the mud literally sucking the life out of soldiers whose life expectancy on the front line shortens by the day. The songs become more cynical, the officers commanding more desperate and peace comes at the price of 30 million or more young lives.
Christopher Arkeston is our ring-master, never in control and when he asked the monkey if it knew what was going on and the monkey replied “no”... he had to concede he didn’t either.
Versatile Chioma Uma made the most of her solo vocal moment delivering chills. Alice E Mayer as the other female ensemble member had the faux glamour role made famous by Dame Maggie Smith in the film. Mayer played it for all she was worth, vamping the audience pre-show, constant flirtation delivered with dead eyes that scared.
Tall Tom Crabtree stood out in the recruiting line, dealing with lunatic sergeant Harry Curley’s well-played bullying. Euan Wilson was a constant, the solid presence needed to represent the common man caught up in it all.
A shorter show than the monkey remembered, the first half is by far the stronger. Like the war itself, the second became bogged down in repetition and meandered to lose the punch.
Still, there is plenty here that screams out for a revisal under inventive eyes which can edit and sharpen the focus on the strong, moving material which packs a punch even after all these years.
War is not lovely in any way – the ironic title underlines it. This is, though, a respectful and well-crafted attempt which succeeds in its aim of making us remember.
4 stars.