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03.25.08

Contacts: Arts at Emory, Jessica Moore, 404-727-1687, jkmoore@emory.edu
Theater Emory, Hunter Hanger, 404-712-9118, hhanger@emory.edu

Release written by Amanda Van Vleet

If Monty Python Went to War: Theater Emory’s “ Oh What A Lovely War. ”

Theater Emory presents Joan Littlewood’s musical entertainment, “Oh What A Lovely War” (April 17-27, 2008), a vaudeville style, song and dance satire that director Donald McManus compares to the comedy of Monty Python and the clowning of commedia dell’arte. Absurdly chronicling World War I through outrageous comedy, the 22-member cast conveys both the military propaganda that ultimately led to the waste of war and the honest expression of common soldiers who maintained their humanity through wry humor and song.

Assistant Professor Donald McManus, making his directorial debut at Emory, is excited to provide a tribute to soldiers’ stories, believing that this show is the “voice of these people’s ghosts.” McManus points out that the tangible human connections to this war are disappearing as we speak. “I remember reading love letters that my grandfather wrote to my grandmother from the front during World War I,” says McManus. “‘Oh What a Lovely War’ depicts what young men and women should have been doing instead of fighting.”

The creator of “Oh What A Lovely War,” Joan Littlewood, was a founding member of the political theater company, Theatre Workshop. Littlewood was a political radical, who was, ironically, both blacklisted by the BBC and expelled from the British Communist party. “Oh What A Lovely War” was developed in the 1960s by the members of Theatre Workshop, including Charles Chilton and Gerry Raffles, after treatments by Ted Allan and others.

“Oh What A Lovely War” is more distant from the current war with Iraq than most other plays in Theater Emory’s war season, making it an appropriate work with which to conclude the series. The Iraq war will continue to be the focus of our national debate, especially with the presidential elections occurring next fall, and McManus believes that artistic distance can help the audience relate to the enormity of the issue. He says that Americans often dismiss the significance of World War I, which has been overshadowed by World War II in the national consciousness. However, 50,000 Americans died in WWI in two years alone, and half a million people were sent overseas.

McManus is working with a large cast of student actors, exploring the effect of war on youth. The professionals in the cast include Blake Covington, John Curran, Michael Evenden, Allen O’Reilly, Dana Schultz, and Ronn Smith. Musical direction is by Bryan Mercer. Set and costume design is by Leslie Taylor. Lighting design is by Greg Catellier and sound design is by Robert Turner.

“Oh What A Lovely War” is performed in the Mary Gray Munroe Theater, Dobbs University Center, 605 Asbury Circle, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322. Performances are 7 p.m. on April 17-19 and April 23-26, and at 2 p.m. on April 20 and 27. The Pay-What-You-Can Performance is April 23. Pay-What-You-Can tickets can be purchased at the door only and are subject to availability. Advance tickets for the performance can be purchased at the regular price. For tickets ($18; $14 for discount category members) and information, the public can call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu. Performance parking is available in Peavine and Fishburne Visitor parking decks. For Theater Emory information, visit www.theater.emory.edu.

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NOTE: Digital photos are available upon request

THEATER EMORY

Theater Emory is the producing organization of Emory University and is affiliated with the Department of Theater Studies. It is a member of the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts and operates under a season agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

ARTS AT EMORY MISSION

Emory University provides a dynamic, multi-disciplinary environment for the study, creation and presentation of the arts.

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