4 STARS, Oct 16-21. From page to stage. Jane McGowan enjoys an evening with the Wipers Times, coming to Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud
Philip Tull
The tragedy of the First World War has provided a never-ending source of material for poets, authors, dramatists and filmmakers for the past century. From Birdsong and Testament of Youth, to Journey’s End and All Quiet on the Western Front, the heart-rending and ultimately futile loss of a generation has been rigorously and poignantly examined.
In the Wipers Time, Private Eye editor and Have I Got News for You stalwart Ian Hislop along with writer and cartoonist Nick Newman, go over much of the same ground – the misery of the trenches, the brutality and pain of conflict and the fragility of life. But in the recounting of the launch of the Wipers Times – a satirical newspaper written by the men recounting the war from the hell of Flanders Fields - the pair bring a humorous, albeit quite dark, take on events.
The play opens with decorated former soldier Fred Roberts (James Dutton) being interviewed for a job on a national newspaper in post-war London. His only journalistic experience is as editor of the Wipers Times (so called because that is how many of the British Tommys referred to Ypres), and as he attempts to explain to his prospective boss how he founded the paper, we are transported back to Ypres where the men stumble across a printing press and lo, a newsroom is fashioned amid the dugout.
What follows is an entertaining story of bravery, camaraderie and British humour in the face of the very worst adversity. The action switches between the front line, the makeshift newsrooms and the offices of the “Brass Hats”, where arguments rage between an eminently sensible major who sees the publication as a morale-boosting exercise and Lieutenant Colonel Howfield who views it as an act of subordination at best and at worst, of treason. Scenes are moved on by musical hall-style numbers, where the men once again poke fun not only at their situation but also their superiors.
Alastair Muir
There were some great performances – notably George Kemp as the unflappable and engaging Lieutenant Pearson and Dan Mersh who doubled as the former printer turned soldier Sergeant Tyler and Major Mitford. While Dora Schweitzer’s dugout set seamlessly transforms to reflect the action.
The play is adapted from Hislop and Newman’s award-winning television drama and aside from several digs at the Daily Mail and a little bit of audience participation; the stage version brings nothing new. There are obvious comparisons too with Ben Elton’s and Richard Curtis’ Blackadder Goes Forth – from the sardonic protagonist to the pompous staffer, who seemed to be channelling Tim McInnerny’s Captain Darling. There are also likenesses to Joan Littlewood’s Oh What a Lovely War, which famously used the musical hall motif to bring a haunting grubbiness to the supposed noble enterprise of dying for one’s country. But if viewed as salutes to what has gone before, they in no way detract from the play’s skill.
Indeed one of the most thought-provoking moments of the Wipers Times is witnessing the excruciating irony of “Lest We Forget”, as played out during the scene in which Roberts desperately looking for a just a couple of years after the Armistice is told that people have had enough of the war and want to move on.
And while we may have said ‘Goodbye to all that’, the uncertain times in which we live remind us that having a healthy disrespect for those who lead, may not be such a bad thing.
- The Wipers Times runs at Arts Theatre in Leicester Square from October 15 to December 1. For tickets, visit: seatplan.com
Check out Theatre/Arts Section for more great local theatre news, reviews and interviews
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on all our latest articles
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000 AB1 homes
