Oh What War

Written by Jason Craig

Directed by Mallory Catlett

HERE Arts Center

145 6th Avenue

212-352-3101

 

Review by Bryan Clark

 

You can look forward to a jarring evening, followed by a night of difficult sleep. Yes, Oh What War is actually that intense, and must not be missed. Playwright and performer Jason Craig has devised a hideaway of multinational WWI deserters who show us a dank perspective of war from their underground bunker. He invites us to join the macabre celebration, without concern for our literal comprehension of each moment. The program declares: “This is a multilingual performance for which you are fluent in all languages.” And so we are.

 

The cast is uniformly committed to the challenging material. Under the fearless hand of director Mallory Catlett, they turn a loose collection of monologues and scenes into a coherently twisted tale of wartime disillusionment, featuring live sound effects by G. Lucas Crane. Set designer Peter Ksander provides a clever and practical rendering of a wartime bunker, including the seamless integration of video from designer Zbigniew Bzymek.

 

Picture Perfect: Kelli Rae Powell spies away in Jason Craig’s Oh What War.

 

Music is used exquisitely throughout, with composition by Lisa Dove (based largely on music from the WWI vaudeville Oh What A Lovely War). The company’s punk sensibilities stretch from the wry ukulele of Kelli Rae Powell to the bold tuba blasts of Tom Lipinski. Scott Sowers dazzles with his multi-lingual performance, although this can be a distraction from his other contributions. Jessica Jelliffe supports the ensemble work, but bears the burden of the least-developed character.

 

Magin Schantz, who delivers the production’s most sophisticated and engaging characterization, steps forward as a contorted cabaret chanteuse to offer a wrenching rendition of “Oh What A Lovely War,” but cannot manage the word “lovely” — hence the play’s title. The grim conclusion features a chilling video appearance by a ghostly child, played by Grzegorz Labriga.

 

The World War I setting is a welcome relief from the current glut of Iraq plays. The distancing effect allows for a broader and more lasting impact. As the opening voice-over observes, “German and British were not the enemies: The enemy of both was the War itself.” Oh What War powerfully conveys that in any time or place, the enemy of all is war itself.