LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | Bring friends to this ‘War’

To the editor: It’s playing at the Island County Fairgrounds, the stage is already improved and deeper since the last show, closer still to a permanent black box look. The piece is brilliant, not just the songs, costumes, choreography and direction. The acting is convincing and it moves, really powers along. The second act takes you into the trenches of Word War I, where my own dad was wounded. He volunteered with Canadian Expeditionary Forces, helped make me a pacifist (except if someone harmed one of my own and I had a weapon handy). It also makes clear how seductive is the ripe stink of home-base jingoism through popular songs — now provided regularly on Fox TV sans music.

To the editor:

It’s playing at the Island County Fairgrounds, the stage is already improved and deeper since the last show, closer still to a permanent black box look.

The piece is brilliant, not just the songs, costumes, choreography and direction. The acting is convincing and it moves, really powers along. The second act takes you into the trenches of Word War I, where my own dad was wounded. He volunteered with Canadian Expeditionary Forces, helped make me a pacifist (except if someone harmed one of my own and I had a weapon handy). It also makes clear how seductive is the ripe stink of home-base jingoism through popular songs — now provided regularly on Fox TV sans music.

Other reasons for seeing the show: Peace at any price, even if arms race profits go right down the drain. Extend that to peace in the home, in the divorce battle: why fight over kids, property, find a way to accord without blood for Jesus’ sake.

Peace, what the heck? Among theater folk, even local ones. Attend Joan Littlewood’s play, directed so ably by Sandy O. Learn about the author, who undoubtedly learned from Brecht, and I’ll bet helped pave the way for Caryl Churchill, David Hare and George Luscombe, a favorite of mine who gave Toronto its first dose of entertaining agit prop, with song and laughs as early as the ‘60s.

Enough; I’m done now with color. Go see “Oh, What a Lovely War,” take friends,

Tom Churchill

Langley