Home | News | This Season | Next Season | Bookings | Auditions | Members | Archive | History | Location | Links | Address Oh What a Lovely War
|
| Cast |
| Ernie Dredge | Pat Howard |
| Bob Lacey | John Midlane |
| Neal Flux | Graham Corbould |
| David Hampton | Cliff Williams |
| Margaret Milligan | Brian Warner |
| Tricia Robertson | Colin Townsley |
| Vera Robinson | John King |
| Gill Leggatt | Tony Stebbings |
| Dennis Bailey | Nicky Burton |
| Tony Otton | George Robinson |
| Pearl Ayling | Denise Russell |
| Jean Franks | Fay Rose |
| Shirley Jacobs | Helen Sunderland |
| Glenys English | Maureen Hardwen |
| Pat Day | Freda Phillips |
| Paul Jennings |
| Crew | |
| Stage Manager | Lesley Wingrove |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Sue Williams, Anne Cozens, Marg Mylett, Christine Milkins |
| Lighting | John Moore |
| Sound | Bill Ayling, Peter Goodwin |
| Musical Director | Ron Jelley |
| Prompt | Shirley Youngs |
Review
First time success at new theatre
The propaganda and indoctrination, the blind patriotism and the savage slaughter of the First World War was excellently conveyed by the Edward Alderton Theatre Group in their first production in the theatre at Brampton Road, Bexleyheath, last week.
Their version of Oh What a Lovely War, a satirical commentary on the Great War, used songs and music to portray the enthusiasm which led soldiers like lemmings to their deaths, and sepia-coloured slides of the war plus statistics to show the real horror and uselessness of it all. Members of the Theatre Workshop, who wrote the play, use countless small scenes to highlight the pathos of war for frontline soldiers and the exhilaration felt by obsessed leaders who only live for victory and enemy deaths.
For the first play staged at the new theatre, it was a good choice. It requires a strong group effort to make it successful rather than individual performances, although they were evident. It was an immediate test of most of the resources of this small, plush theatre. To start any theatre's life with a musical is asking for a double effort from people who may never have acted before.
There was complete cast cohesion in this production directed by Mr Derek V Goulding. Their musical interpretation and quality was faultless. Musical director, Mr Ron Jelley, was either given a gifted group of people or worked extremely hard to produce the final polished performance. Songs like Goodbye, Keep the Home Fires Burning and Roses of Picardy — all old faithfuls — were sung well. A ready audience joined in wherever possible and were encouraged by some fine singing by Ernie Dredge, Pat Howard, Freda Phillips and Glenys English, to name but a few.
Generally the group harmonised well and sections where they were asked to sing against each other were clear and tuneful. The audience had in element of vaudeville about them. They wanted to clap after every song and occasionally interfered with the poignancy of the play.
Comedy is an obvious forte of the group. If you can get an audience to laugh or cry then success is in the air, but manage to make them cry with laughter — as the Alderton group did — and you achieve the status of top comedians. Humour at times outweighed the undercurrent of serious commentary in the play, but facts like "the average life of a machine-gunner in attack is four minutes" were there to ram the message home.
Although the play is a group effort, one or two individuals stood out. The cast is required to use several accents which on the whole could be identified, but Dennis Bailey seemed able to turn his voice to any nationality. As the screaming English sergeant, profiteering American, conceited Frenchman and confused Irishman, he was brilliant.
Other good, sustained performances came from Colin Townsley, George Robinson, Paul Jennings, Shirley Jacobs, Neal Flux. John Midlane and Jean Franks. Compliments, too, to Bill Ayling for excellent sound work, John Moore for lighting and projectionist Andrew Purcell. The programme made no mention of costumes, but they were imaginative and accurate.
It is heartening to see a Bexleyheath theatre company making its mark at last.
CT
Bexley Times | April 197676
