Oh! What a Lovely War 

Theatre Royal

Bath

OUR night at the Bath Theatre Royal started like any other, standing in a throng of other theatre-goers, waiting to take our seats, so far, so normal. Yet, as we sat down, something unusual began to happen.

From the stage, clowns appeared and descended upon the audience. Laughing and smiling, they proceeded to converse with the assembled citizenry until the time came for the show to start. This meticulous dismantling of the fourth wall became a hallmark of the whole performance.

Oh What a Lovely War is, of course, one of the very first popular satires of the First World War. Framed as a ‘Pierrot Show’, we are introduced to several young soldiers as they are conscripted and sent off into the bowels of Belgium, before following their story through the rest of the terrible conflict.

Throughout, the show is peppered with both hilarious and searing sketches or ‘war game’ skits, pointing the finger at politicians, sending millions to the slaughter out of pride, greed and misplaced ambition.

Given that the show is a musical, there were also songs galore, each taken from the period. Helping to set the tone, and giving an idea of what life was like for the participants, these are a particular highlight, especially the closing tune, finishing with the immortal lines, “And we won't come back – we'll be buried over there!“

This was an assured, energetic and memorable production; each member of the cast put in a flawless turn. The quality of the whole production is a testament to both their skill and their verve, a triumph for all involved. - Marion Sauvebois