Theatre Costume
1963
White cotton apron, part of a 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.
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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cotton; Silk Satin; Broderie Anglaise |
| Brief description | White cotton apron, part of a costume for a character in the tour of the musical Oh What a Lovely War, 1963 |
| Physical description | Short white cotton apron. The apron is secured at the waist with a long, wide, lengths of cotton which extend out from the proper left and proper right side of the waistband. The apron is wider at the base than the top, with the fullness at the base gathered into soft pleats at the waistband and the hem finishing in a soft, smooth, curve. The hem and sides are edged with a band of white broderie anglaise, with a line of red silk satin ribbon threaded through the top edge of the hem and tied in a decorative bow at the centre front. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Michael Barker |
| Object history | Costume worn in the 1963 tour of the musical entertainment 'Oh What A Lovely War', written by Charles Chilton and members of the cast from memoirs and personal recollections of World War I. First performed by the Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 19th March 1963. The production was directed by Joan Littlewood. |
| Associations | |
| Literary reference | Oh What A Lovely War |
| Summary | White cotton apron, part of a 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. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.303-1989 |
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| Record created | August 12, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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