Yet those who know anything at all about Spike Milligan would realise that although dead now, he was ultimately both a winner and a loser.
Putting the material of four volumes of his war memoirs on stage in this thought-provoking adaptation gives a living, breathing feeling of a conscript’s life in the services.
Putting Spike in the first person in the safe hands of Sholto Morgan (right) in his professional debut was a master stroke.His Chaplin-esque versatility led the performers of Battery D as they endure life in North Africa, Italy and on to Berlin.
Thirty wonderful revue numbers combine with chilling insights into the horror of war, expertly interwoven such that each change of pace hits home – right between the eyes.
There are some great gags – mostly one-liners – brilliantly quick fire and each dropped into the commentary in exactly the right place to make every word count.
The warning on the cover of the programme was dead right: the performance does indeed contain barrack room humour. But when you’re covering real life like this you can’t avoid it, and it certainly doesn’t offend.The programme itself was also a comedic master stroke. Not your usual Theatre Royal affair. More a newsprint pamphlet, helpfully inscribed “produced in complete conformity with the required War Office paper economy standards.
Very Spike. And like the officer said, “it’ll all be over by Christmas”. Sadly, no one could tell them which one.
