Review: THE WIPERS TIMES, Richmond Theatre

Amid the horrors of the First World War, The Wipers Times is the unlikely, but true, story of when two officers found a printing press in the bombed out remains of Ypres (Wipers was the soldier's nickname for the town) and decided to produce a satirical paper to lift the spirits of the men. The paper could not print any details of the war due to censorship and so it concentrated on the absurd side of life in the trenches by lampooning the government, generals and mocking all the conditions of war.

Written by Private Eye Editor Ian Hislop and cartoonist Nick Newman, the play adapts cartoons and rhymes directly from the paper into performed skits, songs and music hall performances. Unfortunately there is not much more to this production than that. It's a play you desperately want to be better, as the story of the paper is so charming. It is a very different, and in many ways, refreshing way at of looking at how these men and boys got through the darkest of times, but it feels like a variety show more than a narrative. The cast are all very competent, but a lack of any back-story makes them all quite one-dimensional.

Boosting the morale of the men is clearly the underlying aim of the paper; the humour is of its time, but is often still funny, due to the satire used. There is more than a nod to the biting wit of Blackadder Goes Forth, especially in Dan Mersh's hilarious General Mitford, but it is generally not quite strong enough to sustain throughout.

The cast is generally good, with the main two characters, Captain Roberts and Lieutenant Pearson, played with cheeky chappy wit and humour by James Dutton and George Kemp. They have a great public school camaraderie and show an unrelenting determination to remain upbeat in the face of desperate circumstances. Dutton is affable, charismatic and charming, with Kemp playing a more thoughtful role. Again, it's a shame that we do not discover more about the pair, especially as Hislop and Newman did so much research into them.

Sam Ducane puts in an amusing performance as clueless Lieutenant Colonel Howfield and Chris Levens is charming as the hapless Dodd, reminding the audience of just how young and naïve so many of the soldiers at the front were.

Dora Schweitzer's very clever set shows base camp at the bottom, with trenches above and sky above slickly adapted as the stage for some of the comic sketches played out by the men. James Smith's lighting design is slick and allows the different sections of the set to be highlighted as the action jumps around.

Overall, there is a very worthy message that in the face of the most terrible disaster, laughter is the best defense. It's a pity that this brilliant subject was not given more depth and substance.

The Wipers Times is at Richmond Theatre until 30 September and then touring

Photo Credit: Alistair Muir

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