The vulgarity of war makes for a wonderful show
Renegade Theatre in Melbourne has adapted Joan Littlewood’s 1963 musical production Oh, what a lovely war! to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the First World War.
The cast of activists and skilled performers do justice to the depth and complexity of Littlewood’s script. The play’s high level political commentary is delivered at a fast pace with intelligence and wit. And yet the themes are clearly communicated for a wide audience.
The show opens with Pierrot clowns performing Mel Brooks-esque slapstick comedy, complete with audience interaction. The cast remain in Pierrot costumes throughout the show – including on the battlefield and at highfalutin international presidential dinner dances.
The idea of conveying a hard hitting anti-war message while wearing clown suits sounded risky to me. Would it be too obscure? Would it come across as surreal and abstracted from reality? Would the audience consist of five old white guys? Are the members of Renegade Theatre a bit nutty? It quickly became apparent that, just as writer Joan Littlewood expected her audiences to be smart enough to get it, director Ben Fuller is not actually taking such a risk – he knows that it works. The cast pull it off to a T.
The play is a history lesson in war-time decision making processes. The truths of war are revealed as blood-thirsty field marshal Douglas Haig refuses to acknowledge the atrocities of war. He is happy to lose hundreds of thousands of troops if it means driving the enemy into the ground. A jovial grouse shooting expedition highlights the vested economic interests behind the scenes of the slaughter. One hundred years on, little has changed.
A French mutineer, war deserters and a Christmas day drinking session with Jerry and Tommy (German and British troops) in No Man’s Land depict the bravery and humanism of the working class when soldiers refuse to follow orders.
The play’s musical director Jonathan Harvey does an amazing job on the tunes. Ben Fuller has cast professional performers – including Paul Dawber who plays the all powerful Haig. The women in the show sing spectacularly. Dianne Algate’s rendition of I’ll make a man of you is top notch. A certain chain-smoking Renegade Activist MC still had his voice perfectly intact after three straight nights of yelling, singing and screaming at new army recruits.
Unfortunately Renegade Theatre missed an opportunity to adequately critique gender roles in war. The acting and singing of the women was fantastic. Littlewood gave some attention to changing career roles as women entered manufacturing. And there’s a rousing speech by a female anti-war activist. But more direction could have been given to subvert feminine ideals of the time. I’m not prudishly advocating getting rid of the sexy songs. But a more challenging burlesque slant could undermine the femininity, just as the Pierrot clown costumes undermine the credibility of war itself.
Littlewood said of the original production that she wanted people to leave the theatre laughing at the “vulgarity of war”. But in the final scenes of the show, quiet sobs can be heard in Trades Hall’s New Ballroom as the audience reflects on the sadness of senseless death. Renegade Theatre does a great job of adapting a complex and sophisticated play into an entertaining, energetic, tear-jerking show. A must see.
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Don’t miss the remaining performances of Oh, what a lovely war!
Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street, Carlton (enter on Lygon Street)
Friday 1 August, 7:30pm
Saturday 2 August, 7:30pm
Sunday 3 August, 2pm matinee
