An Awfully Big Adventure explores the truth behind World War One. Through energetic songs and moments of both great humour and poignancy, this show commemorates the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1.
I’m liking
The show opens with the actors moving around the theatre and interacting with the audience. Their comments and the feedback from the audience reflect a range of understand and misunderstanding relating to WW1.
The young cast of Barnaby Olson, Andrew Paterson, Brynley Stent and Chris Swney worked together as a tightly knit group. There was not a weak moment amongst them. The pacing of the scenes, story and dialogue reflected a vast amount of rehearsal that must have gone into this show as well as the clear vision of director Leo Gene Peters.
The use of props and lighting were a particularly effective part of this show and some of the effects had my daughter entranced. She was particularly taken with the clever use of lighting and toy soldiers to depict Chunuk Bair.
Scattered throughout the show were a number of surprisingly upbeat songs. These linked key sections of the play and further showed the talents of this cast.
Things that made me go hmmmm
The dialogue was crackling fast and we didn’t always catch everything that was said. At times, it also felt like some of the jokes were trying a wee bit too hard. These were minor things, though, and certainly didn’t detract from the overall experience.
Although this show is aimed at 8+, I felt it was more suited to older children. Take note, high school teachers – this would be a brilliant show for students who had studied the origins of World War I.
The conclusion
As is almost always the case with shows from Capital E, An Awfully Big Adventure is a top-notch production. The smart use of props and astonishingly clever effects tied together a gaspingly good performance from the cast.
The play finishes with bells and dying lights to signify the toll of the war. And the final dialogue notes: “20 years later we did it all again”, to which the response is: “What was the point?”. Indeed.
This show is touring soon – keep an eye out for it near you!
