Theatre Breaks New Ground by Going into the Trenches
Rating: 4
Oh What a Lovely War
Kansas City Actors Theatre
The Kansas City Actors Theatre has once again thought outside the box to bring an innovative piece of theatre to the city. Partnering with UMKC Theatre and The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial the troupe is producing "Oh What a Lovely" War from now until February 27th. Performed in the converted lecture hall in the museum, the play is a satiric, British music-hall carnival with a Brechtian twist. As such it may not be for everyone, but if you can appreciate a cast working as an ensemble to bring you a sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes riotously funny look at the foibles of humans engaged in war, then you need to make your way to the museum to see this production. In fact, arrange to come earlier in the day to visit the museum because this truly is a gem buried in the hill overlooking Union Station. Just as the show does an outstanding job of transporting us back to the years of World War I the museum is able to recall those desperate times with meanin!
gful and moving displays.
Directed ably by Barry Kyle, the plot, told mostly from the British point of view, takes us through the preparations for war, early battles filled with misplaced optimism and the grinding later years of the war as mounting casualties sapped all the involved nations of strength and hope. We see the energetic men with 19th Century strategies and feelings going off to fight the first of the hyper-destructive wars of the 20th Century. Kyle places his characters in Pierrot clown costumes, well executed by designer Suzanne Mann, except for his M. C., who appears to us in a costume recalling the Union Jack flag as well as a circus master of ceremonies. The M. C., played by the excellent Phil Fiorini, gleefully takes us through the "War Game," forcing us to watch even though the game becomes more and more difficult to regard in any kind of fun way.
Scattered throughout the show is an incredible treasure trove of period songs and the gallows humor battlefield versions of them sung by the soldiers. The music provides an important cushion between the harsh reality and the comic satire, never letting us get too bogged down in our emotions. It's like a textbook lesson in Bertolt Brecht's epic theatre. We are forced to keep thinking about the ideas presented, rather than get too connected to the pathos of the individual lives. The success of the show's conceit is demonstrated as Fiorini and the talented supporting Pierrots are able to pull laughs from the audience, even after the body count of the war has started climbing into the millions. As Kyle acknowledges in the program notes, the sunny dispositions of the clown characters recall a happier time that stubbornly tries to persist in the face of incredible suffering. The stark contrast of style and subject matter also plunk this show down solidly in the realm of satire as we watch the almost puppet-like Pierrots try to adjust to their fates, even though the outcomes are far beyond their control.
Phil Fiorini and John Rensenhouse once again turn in the excellent performances we have come to expect from them. Fiorini's M.C. is fun, brittle, and energetic, while also hinting at a sinister purpose as the leader of the troupe of actors. He capers about the stage and appears to get the audience back into the "proper" mood at moments when the proceedings might be getting too serious for his liking. Rensenhouse, once he puts on the permanent character of Field Marshall Douglas Haig, portrays a riveting picture of the senior commander who cannot break out of his rigid strategies and so sacrifices men in a vicious war of attrition. His actions become more and more unnerving to watch as he retreats into self justification. When his aide questions the wisdom of committing more men to the same disastrous frontal assaults, Rensenhouse seems to know he is becoming a butcher, even though he cannot find a way out of his single minded path to disaster.
The theatre students from UMKC acquit themselves well on the stage. Although there is some unevenness in the performance abilities they are all fully committed to their performances once they arrive on stage. The show opens with the Pierrots wandering through the audience and interacting with the patrons. Some of the student actors seem uncomfortable with this idea. Each Pierrot is asked to play multiple parts, sometimes utilizing a variety of accents. That they are able to pull this off so well speaks highly of the training they are receiving at UMKC. The play program does not provide pictures with the names or a list of specific characters played so names cannot be given. However, watch for the young man who plays Haig's aide and the young woman who portrays the lead nurse toward the end.
The only place where ability levels significantly differ is when the music starts and then some of the voices are clearly more capable than others. Jennifer Martin's choreography for the musical numbers is simple, but appropriate and is well executed by the energetic cast. The musical accompaniment is supplied by an excellent small group of musicians placed to the side of the stage.
>From a technical point of view, the production is simple and effective. Erin Walley'scenery consists of a starkly defined box of sand which represents each battle field and a few other small moving pieces. Various relevant projections on a large screen at the back are provided by Seifallah Cristobal that add to our understanding of the action. As mentioned before, Mann's costumes begin with the strong visual of the black and white Pierrots and slowly give way to more realistic costumes. By the end, the men portraying the soldiers are left only in ragged, burned versions of the lower half of their Pierrot costumes while the women have changed into nurses outfits. Richard Sprecker's lighting uses a mix of footlights and front of house positions. Unfortunately, because of the limited facilities in the theatre we are sometimes left with actors down front in shadow, while the stage floor behind them remains brightly lit. It is obvious that Sprecker intends for the footlights to provide illumination but they are too dim to be completely effective.
"Oh What A Lovely War" fits the venue of the World War I Museum because in a way it is a museum piece itself. It recalls a style of European entertainment rarely seen any more today. However, the performances give this production so much life that we forget the historical-example aspect of the show. It is a living, breathing thing with a message that will ring true in every era that has to experience the depredations of war.
read the review at KC Stage
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