King’s Ely students stage memorable production of Oh! What a Lovely War

Talented King’s Ely Senior thespians took to the stage to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War.

Hundreds of people descended on the school’s Hayward Theatre to witness King’s Company present the British comedy musical Oh! What a Lovely War.

Around 30 King’s Ely Senior students starred in the production, which featured many nostalgic musical numbers such as ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’, and of course, ‘Oh! It’s A Lovely War’. The school band, which included many King’s Ely Senior students, delighted the audience and a team of students ensured that everything light-, sound- and stage-related went smoothly.

The show was directed by Laura Dixon, musically directed by Richard Walmsley and choreographed by Natasha Hobbs.

Arts Award Coordinator and Teacher of Drama at King's Ely, Mrs Dixon, said: ‘This was a challenging and thought-provoking production. One hundred years is a long time, and the First World War is a distant memory for any living person. In spite of that, the sense of horror at the loss of so many lives in such an incomprehensible manner lives on. The cast fully accepted the challenges of re-creating scenes from long-ago battles with the irony and cynicism the play demanded. They worked incredibly hard and poured their energy and commitment into this mammoth task, producing something that we are incredibly proud of.’

To find out more about opportunities at King’s Ely, please visit www.kingsely.org.