Anthem for a Doomed Youth is one of four productions this Fringe in the #LestWeForget series that focuses on the First World War, a selection of performances brought here from England by Guy Masterson. His Theatre Tours International and Adelaide Centre for International Theatre have brought us many excellent productions over the years, and this is no exception.
This production features Masterson, himself, in a spoken word performance drawing on a wide range of poetry and prose from some of the greatest writers of the time. This performance takes its title from that of the poem by Wilfred Owen, whose moving poetry features several times in this performance. Interpreting great literature is nothing new to Masterson, who has previously brought us his one-man performances of Under Milk Wood, Fern Hill and other Dylan Thomas, and Animal Farm.
WWI, before the second one came along, was referred to as The Great War, and the War to end all Wars which, in hindsight, was a naïvely optimistic claim. The horrors of that war, though, certainly would have suggested that nobody would ever want to repeat it. The facts and figures are all readily available; how many died, were maimed and injured in each battle on both sides. We know of mustard gas warfare and, perhaps, some of you, like me, have had the opportunity to try on a WWI gas mask and wondered how much use they really were.
This production, though, does not rely on recounting those sweeping statistics, nor does it glorify war. These poems and stories are by, and about individuals and their intimate experiences. This brings home the reality of that conflict far more than numbers on a page. Lice, rats, gas attacks, mortars, rifles, and more are no longer concepts but become realities in the wonderful writings of the war poets, brought to life in the present by a master storyteller.
Not all of the works are from an English perspective. Erich Maria Remarque's, All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues), is about German soldiers on the front line. He fought briefly on the Western Front before suffering shrapnel wounds. Masterson also tells, in a piece of his own writing, of The Christmas Truce, of 1914, a spontaneous cease-fire when troops from both sides came out into No-Man's Land to celebrate the day. He imagines a humorous interchange between an English soldier and a German soldier, calling to one another from their trenches before emerging to meet face to face. A little humour here and there is welcome to break the bleakness, the intensity, of the major part of the performance.
Well-known poets, such as Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, and Isaac Rosenberg, lesser-known writers, such as Paul Granier and Tom Kettle, and even some long forgotten and overlooked authors were selected by Masterson from over a thousand poems that he read in his researching to put this production together.
It is Masterson, though, who lifts these from the written word into powerful recitations, living histories as seen through the eyes of those who were there, who suffered and died among their comrades, and now live again through these superb recitations. A little information that he provides about each of the writers adds to the works.
Throughout the performance, Masterson stands alone in a pool of light, centre stage, with only a few sound effects and a number of subtle lighting changes around him for each poem, putting all of the emphasis on the texts and his voice. In this, he excels, infusing each item with great power and poignancy, moving the listeners with the verisimilitude of his embodiments of the numerous writers as he becomes their speakers.
This wonderful production should be high on your list of 'must see' Fringe performances, but you will need to hurry as the season is limited and the Bakehouse in an intimate venue. Don't delay.
Guy Masterson reciting the poem, Anthem for a Doomed Youth, by Wilfred Owen.
Dulce Et Decorum Est, another poem by Wilfred Owen.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Wednesday 21st February 2018