Arms and the Man
Running: 12 Apr 2010 - 24 Apr 2010
Start: 19:30
by Bernard Shaw
Directed by Mike Sellers
Wharfeside Theatre
Funny, poignant and timeless, Shaw's sparkling romantic comedy from 1894 shakes a stick at manly soldiers who are praised for desertion, a middle class as snooty as the upper class, headstrong servants, romantic heroines who save the enemy because they've just seen an opera where such things happen and parents as clueless as their children.
This play is a satire on the stupidtiy of glorifying something so terrible as war, as well as on the foolishness of basing one's affections on idealistic notions of love. Although exploring such serious themes, it is a delightful comedy - an exuberant take on love and war that is filled with Shaw's usual razor-sharp wit. Shaw sold the rights to adapt the play into an operetta, certain that it would never be produced - it became an international hit as "The Chocolate Soldier".
Postal Booking opens February 1
Box Office open from April 8
