Overview
Synopsis
Oh! What a Lovely War was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London on March 19, 1963. The idea for a satirical critique of the First World War emerged out of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop and it was developed by Littlewood, her partner Greg Raffles, Charles Chilton, and the cast. The title of the musical was inspired by the old music hall song, “Oh It’s a Lovely War”, which features as one of the main songs in the show. It was, and is, therefore a truly collaborative, ensemble production.
The musical combines various different styles of theatre but is ultimately classified as an 'epic musical'. It uses traditional music hall songs from the era, often changing their lyrics, and has a cast of around 12-15 men and women. Traditionally, they are all dressed in pierrot costumes (as commonly seen in commedia dell’arte) as Joan Littlewood hated the idea of khaki uniforms on stage. The pierrot costume also removes individual identities, enforcing the idea of the ensemble, and enabling the cast to play multiple roles with the addition of props or costume pieces. As such, the the action moves on with great speed and there is a lot of improvisation and interaction with the audience. Projected slides are used heavily throughout the musical showing a moving display of First World War statistics and images. Sometimes the slides are in the background, behind the actors, but they are also frequently used on their own for greater impact, with the cast singing offstage.
The first act of the musical draws the audience into the sentimentality of the war propaganda and sense of bonhomie that was prevalent at the beginning of the First World War. It opens at the seaside, where young men and women relax, until the MC announces that it is time for “the war game” to start. As the war begins, the soldiers are trained and march off to fight. The famous Christmas Day meeting between the British and German soldiers in no-man’s land is marked by the songs “Heilige Nacht” and “Christmas Day in the Cookhouse”. As the girls promise the soldiers, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”, the first act is brought to an abrupt end with the first bomb explosion of the show. The true horror of the First World War is then borne out in Act Two as the projected slides show horrific images of the realities of war for all sides, accompanied by the soldier’s singing “Gassed Last Night”. As General Haig orders further, fruitless offensives, the soldiers sing traditional music hall songs with their lyrics changed to reflect the brutal reality of life in the trenches:
Forward Joe Soap’s Army, marching without fear,
With our old commander, safely in the rear.
He boasts and skites from morn till night,
And thinks he’s very brave,
But the men who really did the job are dead and in their grave
(“Forward Joe Soap’s Army” to the tune of “Onward Christian Soldiers”)
The projected slides reach their conclusion with images of the surviving troops returning home, injured and weary, and frightening statistics of the numbers killed from all nations involved in the war, Against this bleak backdrop, the ensemble sings “Oh It’s a Lovely War”. A stark, satirical take on the realities of the First World War, Oh! What a Lovely War is a theatrical chronicle depicted through the songs and images of the era.
Show Information
- Book
- Joan Littlewood
- Conceived By
- Gerry Raffles , Charles Chilton , Joan Littlewood
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1963
- Genres
- Satire, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- multiple settings, First World War
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Ensemble Cast, Large Cast, Regional Theatre, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Small Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
Row, Row, Row - Ensemble
Your King and Country - Girls
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser - A Girl
Are We Downhearted? - A Girl
Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy - A Girl
I’ll Make a Man of You - A Girl
*Hitchy-Koo - A Girl
Heilige Nacht - German Soldier
Christmas Day in the Cookhouse - English Soldiers
Goodbye-ee - M.C. & Girls
Act Two
*Oh It’s a Lovely War - Ensemble
Gassed Last Night - Company (offstage)
Roses of Picardy - A Lady & Gentleman
Hush, Here Comes a Whizzbang - The Men (offstage)
There’s a Long, Long Trail - A Man (offstage)
I Don’t Want To Be a Soldier (to the tune of I’ll Make a Man of You) - Two Soldiers
They Were Only Playing Leapfrog - The Men
If You Want the Old Battalion - The Soldiers
Far Far From the Wipers (to the tune of Sing Me to Sleep) - General Haig
If the Sergeant Steals Your Rum - A Soldier
*I Wore a Tunic (to the tune of I Wore a Tulip) - A Soldier
Forward Joe Soap’s Army (to the tune of Onward Christian Soldiers) - The Soldiers
Fred Karno’s Army (to the tune of The Church’s One Foundation) - The Soldiers
When This Lousy War is Over (to the tune of What a Friend We Have In Jesus) - The Chaplain
Wash Me in the Water - The Soldiers
I Want to Go Home - The Soldiers (offstage)
*The Bells of Hell - The Soldiers
Keep The Home Fires Burning - The Nurse
Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts - A Girl
Chanson De Craonne - French Soldiers
I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier - The Soldiers
And When They Ask Us (to the tune of They Wouldn’t Believe Me) - The Men
Oh It’s A Lovely War - The Ensemble
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Spontaneous or improvised lines not in the script, used by actors to maintain flow or enhance realism.
Political theatre intended to agitate and promote a cause, often associated with socialist and revolutionary movements.
A detailed evaluation or analysis of a performance or production, offering constructive feedback.
A group of performers who function as a unit in a production rather than as individuals with leading roles.
A dramatic style associated with Bertolt Brecht that encourages critical thinking rather than emotional involvement.
Innovative performance styles that challenge traditional theatre conventions.
A performance technique in which dialogue and action are created spontaneously. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A literary device where the intended meaning differs from the literal meaning, often creating contrast or humor. Irony is used in theatre to provoke thought or elicit reactions from the audience by highlighting contradictions in character behavior or plot outcomes.
A British theatrical genre featuring variety entertainment including songs, comedy, and specialty acts. Popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it influenced modern musical theatre.
A stock character from French pantomime, often portrayed as a sad clown with white face paint and a ruffled collar. Pierrot symbolizes unrequited love and poetic melancholy.
A genre or technique that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize human folly or societal flaws. Satire is common in political and literary theatre.
A global conflict often explored in theatre through themes of resistance, loss, trauma, and moral complexity.
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher