Oh What a Lovely War

This was another amazing production from LOS and so fitting for the year in which we are remembering WW1.  Andy Freeman's production has give us all the humour, pathos and downright horror that was originally intended and gave audiences a lot to think about. So much research must have been carried out and a great deal of footage of actual events discovered, even showing men enlisting in Lewes itself.  The orchestra, led by MD John Howes, gave immense support to the Company but were never too loud for the soloists and the singing from all concerned was of excellent quality.  Some of the sketches were defintely of a humerous nature!  Mention must be made of Neil Horstcraft's impersonation of a Sergeant Major - I guess it didn't do his vocal chords a lot of good but it was wonderful!  Costumes and makeup were spot on and the set worked very well indeed with all the comings and goings and the sound effects were such that one wondered how those men in the trenches were able to carry on at all.  Excellent programme with the centrefold picture in colour showing the whole company in their pierrot costumes in a field of poppies, together with the black and white Images of War.  This production really brought home to us in the audience the futility of such a war and the images shown at the end of relations of cast members who fought in those dreadful times were very moving, showing the ones who didn't survive wearing a poppy.  Thank you, LOS for a production that was full of emotion which must have been felt at rehearsal as well.

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