This sharp satire on war is a Shaw thing
Arms And The Man (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, London) Verdict: Strong-armed Shaw ★★★★I
THIS may be the last George Bernard Shaw comedy we see at Richmond’s estimable Orange Tree for a while. Those who consider Shaw a windbag (as I have myself) should therefore seize the chance to eat your hats.
The theatre’s director Paul Miller, who has done so much to rehabilitate the Irishman’s reputation, is standing down this year.
Miller’s latest revival of the great man’s work, Arms And The Man, is a brisk two-anda-half hour satire (including two intervals) of war and soldiering.
And far from heavy going, it’s a frothy romcom which allows true love to emerge through self-delusion. All objections quickly perish at the end of Shaw’s rapier wit.
His tale is of idealistic Bulgarian debutante Raina engaged to Sergius, a cavalry officer and national hero who is believed to have routed the Serbian artillery in the Balkan wars. It turns out he owes his life (and victory) to a logistics cock-up by the Serbs — and looks set to lose the heart of his beloved Raina to one of the vanquished fugitives.
Add a subplot with insubordinate servants and Shaw’s satirical souffle puffs up nicely.
Yes, some of the acting in Miller’s neatly costumed period production is needlessly strenuous. Alex
Bhat as Sergius is a Baroque twit, peering down his nose at others as though through a faulty telescope.
Rebecca Collingwood’s flighty Raina is an intriguing Shavian butterfly, who deceives herself and others with ‘noble attitudes’. It’s a comedy packed with neatly drawn characters. The message that war is a racket is no surprise. But it is written with a level of accomplishment all too rarely found on the modern stage. Miller’s appreciation of that will be missed.