Joan Littlewood’s Musical Entertainment Oh What a Lovely War

Fiercely funny, cynical, and heart breaking, this biting satiric commentary on war was developed by Joan Littlewood and the Theatre Workshop in London in 1963. The original production changed not only the theatre landscape but musical theatre as well, creating a template that inspired musicals such as Cabaret and Chicago. Oh What A Lovely War tells the story of the First World War, through the conceit of an Edwardian seaside Pierrot show using popular Music Hall songs of the period, juxtaposed against scenes based on actual events and projected images from the war. Not seen in NYC since its original Broadway production, it has enjoyed major revivals all over the world including the National Theatre in London and most recently at the Shaw Festival of Canada.

Performed at the York Theatre (619 Lexington Avenue, NYC)

By Joan Littlewood, Theatre Workshop, and Charles Chilton
Research by Gerry Raffles
After treatments by Ted Allan and others

Directed by Hans Friedrichs
Choreographed by Rommy Sandhu
Music Direction by Yan Li

March 20-23 at 8:00pm
March 23 at 2:00pm