Great War Theatre

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

This new edition, largely rewritten, of the above Revue has for its chief novelty a typical "Bairnsfather" scene of Tommy in the trenches. This episode of warfare "somewhere in France" shows how Bill and Bert and Alf, taking refuge in a ruined estaminet and listening, with various humorous comments, to the shells bursting round them, cheerily construct for themselves a kind of protection dug-out by the aid of an old mattress; and how they rejoice over the chance discovery of three francs among the debris. Their joy is turned into chagrin when the excited landlord of the inn appears on the scene, accompanied by an English sergeant, who permits him to find in the broken staircase the hiding-place in which he has concealed the little store of notes overlooked by the Tommies in their search. The sketch is quite simple and natural; and there is no suggestion that even if the Tommies had found the money, they would have done anything with it but the right thing. For the rest some new fun is got out of the doings of a lady special constable, and out of the heroine's blunder in taking a film-producer, in search of a new recruit, for the unknown guardian whom she is to meet on her arrival from Australia in London. These, like the minor proposed changes are all unobjectionable [...]

Researcher's Summary:

On 6 March the new Bairnsfather scene was added to 'See Saw'. It featured Old Bill (played by John Humphries), Bert and Alf and was entitled 'Where did that one go?'.

Licensed On: 22 Feb 1917

License Number: 809

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Genre(s):

British Library Reference: LCP1917/4

British Library Classmark: Add MS 66159 R

Performances

Date Theatre Type
N/A Comedy Theatre, London Unknown Licensed Performance