Peace on earth is a common phrase in Christmas carols and popular Christmas songs. The reality is that in 2000 years, there has never been a day, a month, or a year of peace; wars continue to plague humanity.
Playhouse On Park in West Hartford took a bold leap with their Christmas show: All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914.
It is perhaps the most meaningful Christmas production I’ve seen in a long time, perhaps since I saw a production of this show off-Broadway in 2018.
It is a stupendous production that left the audience moved and wildly applauding at the final curtain.
You may have heard of this incident in history class. On the first Christmas of World War I, British and German troops put down their guns and met in what was called “no man’s land” to celebrate the holiday with songs, drink, and stories.
In All Is Calm, 12 incredible actors and singers present this moment, when the true meaning of Christmas existed.
The show, written by Peter Rothstein, uses songs of the period. You may know “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” as well as less familiar numbers, some poking fun at officers. The dialogue consists of snippets of what soldiers said or wrote, including several well-known poets, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, both British.
All Is Calm begins at the start of the war, with the men eagerly enlisting; the British were convinced that the war would be over before Christmas. Ironically, they were right, but that Christmas wasn’t the one in 1914 but the one in 1918, after 9 million were killed. The show is divided into sections: Prologue, The Optimistic Departure, The Grim Reality, Christmas, The Truce, The Return to Battle, and the Epilogue
Music accounts for at least 75 percent of the show. Erick Lichte and Timonth C. Takach did the a cappella vocal arrangements. The men’s voices blend beautifully, which is due to the music direction by Benjamin Rauch.
Director Sasha Bratt has done a terrific job creating moments of stillness and movement. The opening and closing scenes are touching. The Playhouse on Park stage can be challenging, but Bratt makes it work.
The lighting design by Johan Fitzpatrick (he also did the scenic design) often keeps the stage partially dark, the better to focus your attention on specific cast members.
This is a show you need to see.
It runs through Sunday, Dec. 21. Tickets are available at PlayhouseOnPark.org.
It is a stupendous production that left the audience moved and wildly applauding at the final curtain.
You may have heard of this incident in history class. On the first Christmas of World War I, British and German troops put down their guns and met in what was called “no man’s land” to celebrate the holiday with songs, drink, and stories.
In All Is Calm, 12 incredible actors and singers present this moment, when the true meaning of Christmas existed.
The show, written by Peter Rothstein, uses songs of the period. You may know “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” as well as less familiar numbers, some poking fun at officers. The dialogue consists of snippets of what soldiers said or wrote, including several well-known poets, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, both British.
All Is Calm begins at the start of the war, with the men eagerly enlisting; the British were convinced that the war would be over before Christmas. Ironically, they were right, but that Christmas wasn’t the one in 1914 but the one in 1918, after 9 million were killed. The show is divided into sections: Prologue, The Optimistic Departure, The Grim Reality, Christmas, The Truce, The Return to Battle, and the Epilogue
Music accounts for at least 75 percent of the show. Erick Lichte and Timonth C. Takach did the a cappella vocal arrangements. The men’s voices blend beautifully, which is due to the music direction by Benjamin Rauch.
Director Sasha Bratt has done a terrific job creating moments of stillness and movement. The opening and closing scenes are touching. The Playhouse on Park stage can be challenging, but Bratt makes it work.
The lighting design by Johan Fitzpatrick (he also did the scenic design) often keeps the stage partially dark, the better to focus your attention on specific cast members.
This is a show you need to see.
It runs through Sunday, Dec. 21. Tickets are available at PlayhouseOnPark.org.