Groundbreaking theatremaker Joan Littlewood's brilliant satire on the folly of war continues to resonate just as profoundly in the 21st century as ever it did way back in the 1960s, when it was first produced.   

The legendary show - blending performance with documentation from World War One - is here revived for a 60th anniversary tour by Blackeyed Theatre (in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre). 

Famously including a host of songs from the era - among them Long Way To Tipperary, Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit-Bag and Keep The Home Fires Burning - the production features a set which is designed to look like a circus tent. The cast (wearing clown-like makeup to follow through with the circus theme) is made up of four men and two women - talented actor-musicians who shift seamlessly between characters while simultaneously displaying their musical abilities by playing a selection of instruments. 

The production comes complete with on-screen projections which hammer home a poignant message about the cost and absurdity of war. One such screen reveals the fact that the average life expectancy of a machine-gunner under attack is just four minutes. Other projections display statistics that starkly present the ludicrousness of the conflict - thousands of men’s lives were often lost, in little more than the blink of an eye, in order to gain just a few yards of land... 

A further projection makes it clear that not everybody is a loser in war: a staggering 21,000 Americans became millionaires as the fighting raged. The gobsmacking truth - that the rich get richer during periods of conflict and crisis (think Covid!) - is perfectly illustrated in a scene in which an international gathering of wealthy grouse shooters discuss the new weapons and obscene piles of money that they’re making. 

Oh What A Lovely War may not make for a comfortable watch - particularly given current circumstances in Ukraine and the Middle East - but it is always, without fail, an entertaining, engaging and enlightening theatrical experience. Indeed, at its very best, Joan Littlewood’s epic musical manages to illuminate the darkness of its bleak subject matter with shafts of pure, unadulterated light. This currently touring version doesn’t quite hit such heights - the acoustics weren’t great, and it took a while for the actors to get into their stride and really own the material - but it has plenty to recommend it and is definitely worth an evening of anybody’s time.

Three stars

Reviewed by Peter Joshua at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, where the production continues to show until Wednesday 7 February. Oh What A Lovely War! then visits Lichfield Garrick on Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 February; Festival Theatre, Malvern, from Thursday 12 to Saturday 16 March and Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Thursday 2 to Saturday 4 May