Oh What a Lovely War
Theatre Costume
1963 (made)
1963 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
White silk satin trousers, part of a Pierrot costume for a character in the 1963 tour of the musical Oh What a Lovely War. The production opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in March 1963 and was directed by Joan Littlewood (1914-2002). It subsequently transferred to Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End before touring. The show was also adapted for radio and premiered on Broadway in 1964.
Oh What a Lovely War was created by the director Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop ensemble in 1963. It was inspired by a Charles Chilton radio series, which had combined statistics about the First World War with versions of songs from the time (setting new lyrics about the war to hymns and familiar music hall songs). The show was created through a process of improvisation, and is therefore generally credited as having been written by members of the cast and as being inspired by memoirs and personal recollections of the First World War.
The Pierrot costumes (which were worn by both male and female performers) were used in place of military uniforms.
Oh What a Lovely War was created by the director Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop ensemble in 1963. It was inspired by a Charles Chilton radio series, which had combined statistics about the First World War with versions of songs from the time (setting new lyrics about the war to hymns and familiar music hall songs). The show was created through a process of improvisation, and is therefore generally credited as having been written by members of the cast and as being inspired by memoirs and personal recollections of the First World War.
The Pierrot costumes (which were worn by both male and female performers) were used in place of military uniforms.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Oh What a Lovely War (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Silk Satin |
| Brief description | White silk satin trousers, part of a Pierrot costume for a character in the first tour of Oh What a Lovely War, which opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, in 1963 |
| Physical description | A pair of white silk satin trousers. The trousers are relatively loose and follow the line of the leg, ending in a slight flare at the base. There is a wide waistband (about 3.5cms in width) which extends into a softly curved point at the centre front. They fasten at the proper left side hip with a row of 3 press studs and a metal hook and bar. 6 white plastic buttons are positioned around the interior of the waist (intended to be secured to braces). They are not lined. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Michael Barker |
| Associations | |
| Literary reference | Oh What A Lovely War |
| Summary | White silk satin trousers, part of a Pierrot costume for a character in the 1963 tour of the musical Oh What a Lovely War. The production opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in March 1963 and was directed by Joan Littlewood (1914-2002). It subsequently transferred to Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End before touring. The show was also adapted for radio and premiered on Broadway in 1964. Oh What a Lovely War was created by the director Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop ensemble in 1963. It was inspired by a Charles Chilton radio series, which had combined statistics about the First World War with versions of songs from the time (setting new lyrics about the war to hymns and familiar music hall songs). The show was created through a process of improvisation, and is therefore generally credited as having been written by members of the cast and as being inspired by memoirs and personal recollections of the First World War. The Pierrot costumes (which were worn by both male and female performers) were used in place of military uniforms. |
| Associated object | S.301A-1989 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.352-2019 |
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| Record created | July 24, 2019 |
| Record URL |
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