Lest We Forget

I was welcomed to the dress rehearsal of this commemorative revue of the Great War, brought to us through plays poems, readings and songs, as I was unable to attend a performance.  I am so glad I did not miss it.  I know everyone was concerned that with the lack of an audience it would not seem like a ‘proper’ performance, and lack audience response, but we did our best!  There were one or two hiccoughs but they did not detract from the integrity of the production.

There was a very basic set with the proscenium arch decorated with bricks on one side and wooden planks on the other to represent ‘home’ and ‘away’.  Pieces of furniture and props were brought on as required.  A technical highlight was the falling poppy petals.  The costume team had worked hard on the costumes, which took us back to the period.

We were helped to follow the progress of the War both at home and in the Trenches.

Starting with a joyful rendition of the wonderful hymn ‘Only Remembered For What We have Done’ words by Dr. Horatius Bonar put to music by Ira D. Sankey, which was also used in the play ‘War Horse’, and finished with a very solemn rendition of the same hymn, which was very moving.

The evening created what must have been the attitudes of people at the time from all angles.  Starting with an almost light hearted feeling with recruitment drives and songs encouraging young men ‘to take the shilling’, and the reluctant ones being given a white feather, and families being proud their men were joining up.  Through the more sobering times when news was arriving of casualties, and the hard facts of war were beginning to sink in.  Finally the realisation of how many men had been lost and the long lasting impact it would have on everyone who had lived through it.

It was obvious many hours of research had gone into finding the items for this revue, with several local people and incidents being reported.  The choice of songs some of which were well known and others I had never heard; the use of two excerpts from Black Adder using humour to show to show what was happening in the trenches, and ending with them ‘going over the top’ to inevitable death; and the poignant readings from ‘Forgotten Voices of the Great War’, all contributed to make this a thought provoking evening.

The sincerity and commitment of the cast shone through and I felt they had all come to genuinely understand the subject and conveyed the change from gaiety to sombre as the evening progressed very well.  I do not doubt the affect it will have on your audiences and there will be one or two tears by the end of the week.

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