A couple of weekends ago we went to Hull Truck Theatre to see Oh What a Lovely War by Black Eyed Theatre .
There are some very quick trailers on Youtube
here and
here .
The show itself was originally created by the cast at the time in 1963 and interspersed with songs from the time of the First World War. However, it is (sadly) all too relevant today and the implication is that despite all the wars and conflicts since, the human race has learnt very little from its mistakes. If you would like to know more about the show,
here is a link to a Wikipedia entry.
The cast were all multi-instrumentalists and singers and they really earned their money. The show was moving, thought provoking and intelligent. While the action was going on, which was extremely slick and well-choreographed, on the screen behind were projected the horrifying numbers of people killed in the various WWI battles. Our one slight criticism is that the ladies' voices didn't carry so well we missed some of the lyrics from the songs, but none of the cast had microphones which added to the intimate feeling of the show.
It was definitely a memorable afternoon. There are a couple of reviews of the show
here and
here which give a flavour of the show as a whole and this particular revival. The remaining dates and places on the tour are
here.
It sounds like a wonderful event. And moving too. We do seem to be a species of slow learners don't we? Which is so very sad.
ReplyDeleteThanks, EC. It was a really good, slick and polished performance which was incredibly moving. It would be nice to think we could evolve and learn, but on current evidence, that seems unlikely (and sad, I agree).
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
Sadly, you're right. We don't seem to learn from one war to the next. I don't know if we'll ever see world peace. I'd like to think we will, but I know it won't be in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteSandy's Space
Thanks, Sandy. We can but hope that future generations may manage better than current ones are doing. In the meantime, we need to keep celebrating the good we can find around us.
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
It sounds like an interesting production and very poignant too, looking back to the numbers killed during past wars and knowing what's going on in the world today. I don't think we'll ever learn.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jo. It was a very poignant and thought provoking production. It was a rollercoaster of emotions where you were laughing one minute and then feeling sad the next. Certainly relevant for today's world too, unfortunately.
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie
It looks like a great show Ellie. That would've been very moving seeing all those numbers of deaths on the back screen while the show was going on - how sad & very confronting. I agree - we have learned very little from history about peace in the world. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie. It was a really memorable show and the cast were excellent. I wish things would improve in the many war zones currently, but sadly there seems little chance of that so far.
DeleteBest wishes
Ellie