Billy Bishop Goes To War – Review

John Gray’s play Billy Bishop goes to war (in collaboration with Eric Peterson) is cleverly re-imagined with a cast of only two by director Jimmy Walters for Southwark Playhouse, London.

This captivating and poignant biopic gives a personal account of William Avery Bishop, told by his younger self (Charles Aitken) and his middle age self (Oliver Beamish). Bishop was a Canadian flying ace of the First World War who was officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war. The play not only reminds us of the role Colonial Canada played in World war 1 but of the enormous sense of loss for those who died.

We are introduced first to the older Bishop (played suberbly by Oliver Beamish). Beamish’s piano playing throughout the play and the many songs give the play a lively entertaining tempo.

Charles Aitken’s energetic performance as the young Bishop, a failing Canadian military college student, really is a must see. He also impresses in the other characters he plays like Dame Hilda Bracket-ish Lady St Helier.

Daisy Blower multi-functioning set and costume design on this small stage at Southwark Playhouse is done to meticulous detail from the various memorabilia, old photos, books, rugs, etc, to the world war one uniform. Overhead we see what looks to be a parachute suspended. The lighting (Arnim Friess) and sound (Dinah Mullen) create the convincing atmospherics of this wartime period production.

Billy Bishop Goes to War is a wonderful piece of storytelling. It is funny and often quite uplifting. It interrogates the nature of heroism while still making the case of the human cost of war, it’s futility when you consider the many lives that were sacrificed.

It runs from 13th of March to the 6th of April at Southwark Playhouse and is a must-see.