War has been very popular with those who run Britain. They have waged war in 171 of the 193 UN member states and in 2019 sold arms to the value of eleven billion pounds, an amount only beaten that year by the USA.
War is good for profits, good for economic growth and, as Blackeyed Theatre’s production of Oh What A Lovely War illustrates, it is also good for musical satire.
The brilliant band of musician actors even begin with a musical overture of various tunes including "Land of Hope and Glory", which we will by the interval have learned applies mainly to those in charge rather than the working men consigned to the trenches of World War One.
Dressed in the cabaret-style costume and make-up of the commedia dell'arte, the four men and two women, who each perform multiple characters, begin gently enough, even getting the audience to sing along with the upbeat marching song “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and Smile, Smile, Smile”.
That light mood of preparing for war continues with recruiting songs such as “I’ll Make a Man of You” and the optimistic fantasy song “Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser”.
As one character proudly points out, the British Empire is more than 13 million square miles large and the best democracy the world has ever seen.
Soon, the bleak suffering of war appears and, in a very moving scene when British soldiers sitting in their trench hear from the German trenches first the Christmas song “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” ("Silent Night"), which prompts the British to sing the comic song “Christmas Day in the Cookhouse”, the two sides meet, shake hands and exchange presents.
By the interval, Britain has joined the war, and projections above the stage let us know how things are going. In battle after battle, thousands of British troops are killed with “nil” advance, and at least one projection notes there are no German casualties.
We learn that the average life expectancy on the front line is three weeks. Never mind, says war commander Douglas Haig, Britain has a bigger population, so we will outlast the enemy.
It’s not all bad news though. We see a gathering of rich men from different countries shooting grouse as they talk about the new weapons they are developing and the money they are making. A projection tells us, “21 thousand Americans became millionaires during the war.”
However, this show, first performed sixty years ago by the Theatre Workshop at Stratford East, is careful to avoid images or words that are too unsettling or disturbing.
This 2023 production is always entertaining, watchable, well-delivered and, importantly, clear about the absurd waste of war for everyone but the rich.