Oh! What a lovely war
By Alan Clawley.
Last night’s production by Union Theatre of Joan Littlewood’s Oh What A Lovely War, staged in the garden of the Manor House in Solihull High Street, was a credit not only to the skill of the actors and producers but to the versatility of what must be Solihull’s oldest building as a setting.
The audience of around a hundred sat in garden chairs under awnings in case of rain whilst the company braved the open air. The rain held off despite ominous clouds and although it was cold and a little breezy we kept warm with our polar fleeces and travel rugs.
Instrumental music was played on keyboard, horn and drums by a versatile duo, with the Last Post, played on the horn, being especially poignant.
The courtyard, which is enclosed on three sides by the two-story mediaeval house, defined the main performance area and dramatic use was made of the fire escape stairs and the various doors at garden level for entries and exits. Refreshments were served in the garden during the interval.
Littlewood’s ‘Musical Entertainment’ is an emotional evocation of the tragedy of the First World War. Littlewood makes us laugh at the military ineptitude and pig-headedness that led to mass slaughter on the battlefield. She makes us feel the suffering and humour of the ordinary Tommy and his German counterpart. Throughout, the women stay doggedly loyal to their men while only a reviled pacifist and a military nurse express any doubt.
At the end of the play, having sung the title song for their final curtain call, the cast deserts the stage and leaves the audience alone with a field of white crosses with poppies fluttering in the evening breeze.