Hasland Theatre Company to stage Oh What A Lovely War

Oh What A Lovely War will be presented by Hasland Theatre Company at the Playhouse, Storforth Lane, Hasland, this month.

The piece was first performed by Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop in 1964. Richard Attenborough’s film version shunned the overt anti-war politics in favour of sentimentality.

John Preston, co-director with Gary Keeling for Hasland, said: “We have tried to keep our production in the same tradition as the original by keeping the satire and avoiding sentimentality.

“The single-minded callousness and the gung-ho attitude of the military, politicans, the Church, the media, business and commerce, upper-middle and working classes are targeted in this satirical tale of the futility of war.

“However there are more than 20 songs, there is dancing, falling about and plenty of laughs; the decency of ordinary human beings still pops in.”

The production runs for nine performances, from November 14 to November 22, an increase on previous presentations. The company is trialling this from November to the May 2015 play and if successful, it will become a regular aspect of their productions.

For tickets, contact www.haslandtheatrecompany. co.uk or 01246 272271