1914 Local News - The Blue Orange Theatre

Performed by Tell Tale Theatre

Rating *****

A very well executed minimalist production mixing truth and fictionalised stories from the Midlands and the Front Line this day 1914. Combining quotes from newspaper reports from "this day" meaning each show is unique.

The story loosely follows several different stories showing how people are affected in all walks of life.

We see a 35 year old self employed builder who is too old to conscript despite wanting to until the Army becomes desperate enough to change its requirements. He gives us a glimpse of Midlands war life.

The lives of women left behind and the "white feather" campaign where men who weren't fighting were given white feathers as a symbol of their "cowardice". We see this through one of the main ringleaders, poet and Daily Mail contributor Jessie Pope.

We also follow Lady Dorothie Feilding who having shunned her aristocratic background is working as a stretcher bearer, driving her own limousine converted into an ambulance as her chauffeur is too scared to drive for her.

We see Indian soldiers struggling with England's weather, horrid tea and ham and beef sandwiches whilst training in the trenches dug into the estates of aristocrat's manors.

The plight of aliens who were patriotic to Britain but treated like the enemy is also explored, including the Mayor of Coventry Siegfried Bettmann and his British wife, Annie, and some poor unfortunates shot dead in an internment camp.

All the scenes were interspersed with news and sports reports and adverts that were taken from local newspapers of the day.

The audience were given plenty of chance to participate as the intimate matinée performance we attended meant that all of the audience with given chance to get involved. We were given training with Annie Bettman in first aid and other skills. Several men were taken to war and we all waved them off on the train. We all stood for a moments silence to remember the pigeons who died in battle.

Three very skilful actors brought all these characters to life, with the two men and one woman cast all swapping sex, accent and nationality. The female actor even swapped between two characters of different sexes in the same scene - something she has also done in a previous performance of Macbeth at the same theatre.