My War: From Bismarck to Britain and Back
presented by Klatch Productions
Showtimes
Sun., Aug. 3 @ 2:30 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 5 @ 5:30 p.m.
[A] Wed., Aug. 6 @ 8:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 8 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 10 @ 1:00 p.m.
KEY:
[S]=ASL interpreted
[A]=Audio described
Show details
Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Duration: 60 minutes
For ages 12+
Adapted by Klatch Productions
Website: www.klatchproductions.com
Genres: Spoken Word, Audio described, Drama
Overall rating
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User reviews
Deliberately Atheatrical
by phillip low Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
One of the most compelling storytelling shows in the Festival. Complaints about the simplicity of the staging and the restraint in the acting seem to me to be largely missing the point -- what's so effective about the voices of the protagonists is how understated they are. Full review available at the Twin Cities Daily Planet.
You are there.
by Joan Calof Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
These three storytellers bring the events of World War II to life through the story of one plucky, patriotic inventive woman and her mother and daughter. Sara Boyle Trautner is marvelous as Ruth, the young Red Cross worker and is ably supported by the storytellers portraying her mother and daughter. I felt I was in that era as I experienced this performance
War Stories
by Chuck Beeson Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
As a portrait of life that ordinary people had during the war, âMy Warâ certainly does tell ordinary storiesâ¦in the form of reading letters at the mike by the respective characters. My initial fear at this spoken word / storytelling performance was that I was not going to see any real acting. But when Ruth Register (Sara Boyle Trautner) describes a building blowing up behind her and men they were just taking to âpresumably goneâ from the blast, the slow start is blasted alive and we are in the war with them. The character of Edith Christianson (Ann Kilgore Reay), the writer of the diary from the perspective at home was acted sloppily and not with the same conviction as Ruth Register. They could have eliminated the character of Christine C. Woods (Ruthâs daughter played by Dorothy Cleveland) who is only there to provide a modern perspective, and even though lit in a dimmer light than the others, sucks energy and focus away from the main two characters.
The imagery is great in this play: talking about ârayonâ nylons, coffee and sugar rationing and using pressed orange wrappers to decorate (no crepe paper) and making pies for the boys when there were no eggs and pie tinsâ¦all a great painting of the era. Maybe a few more historical references and darker moments added to the motherâs dialogue at home, but then again, the playwright probably wanted to stay as close to real as possible. Itâs a fun story, but definitely needs a little punch in the acting department, vocal projection and the story.
bringing it home
by vickijoan keck Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
War is such an overwhelming thing that it's sometimes hard to imagine it's impact. This show makes it personal by just focusing on how it affects three women: Ruth, a twentysix year old widow turned red cross worker, her mother, and later her daughter. Sarah Boyle Trautner is simply perfect as a woman who's determination and optimism in the face of tragedy so reflects the attitudes of that era. No bells or whistles - just great storytelling, plain and simple. The bonus was having the real Ruth, now 91, in the audience that day!
Compelling stories, poor storytelling
by Henry Epp Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
The war stories that make up this play are interesting, humorous, and compelling. Interpreted in the right way, this could be a great show. The actors were too amateur and bland, making the show feel monotonous at times. If the creators of this piece had thought of adding staging, movement, and life to this show, it could be a great piece.
An unexpected pleasure
by Florence Brammer Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Having already sat through enough unsatisfying (albeit earnest) reading-from-a-music-stand shows this Fringe, I was somewhat hesitant to go to this one. But what I found was a really satisfying, surprisingly substantive show with just the right touch of theatrics to enhance the letters that formed the basis for the script. Really unique and something you would not find outside the Fringe. While it does not pander to any special interests, the show holds special appeal for WWII vets and their families as well as feminists.
The courage of women
by Paula Nancarrow Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Occurs without spectacle. In a war where men and women go into combat together â where both mothers and fathers leave babies behind and learn how to kill - I do not think we fully appreciate what this means. Shock and awe is not what the Red Cross Aero Clubs were about. They were about women who traveled across the ocean and put themselves in the path of bombs to bake lemon pies and fashion party streamers out of orange paper wrappers so âour boysâ could have a morale boost. Sometimes the sheer absurdity of love overwhelms me. We have moved beyond these gender roles today, and we have more freedom, more choices. But do we have more courage? I think not. I have seen this piece evolve over two years, from the time it was a 20 minute except at Northstar Storytellingâs Tellabration festival, to an hour long piece at the Northlands Storytelling Network Fringe. What is intensely delightful to me about MY WAR is how rooted it is in relationships. All families have such stories. What is spectacular is that these women wrote theirs down, and another three women chose to share them with us.
Solid story â but nothing spectacular.
by Stef B. Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The dialogue of this show was fine, discussing how the war influenced the lives of two women in both obvious and subtle ways. I appreciated learning more about the war from a womanâs perspective, both in the US as an âobserverâ and in Europe as a âsupporter/participantâ. However, the story telling was more like story reading â the women read from their scripts, so some of the emotion was on the lower, more muted end of the spectrum. Perhaps thatâs how the real-life women actually are, but it makes for not-quite-so-dynamic theater.
Overall Iâm glad I went â it was more like a learning experience/lecture than entertainment, but thatâs okay, I suppose. It was a decent investment of my hour of time.
A wonderful, touching show
by Swizzy Wizzlecheeks Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Small slices of World War II, the home front and the rear lines, from the eyes of two patriotic women. It sounds like a simple idea, but war is often told in grandiose stories of conquest, valor and terror. These little stories of commitment and deication carry a huge emotional heft, and remind you war was once a great and tragic undertaking that affected the entire country. Simply put: this is a wonderful, touching, inspiring show. I was lucky enough to be there opening night, when the woman who's story was being told was present. What an honor to be there. Don't miss this show! Bring your parents, your grandparents, anyone! This show is for everyone!
Five Kitties, Five stars
by Robert Mack Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
We saw the 3 minute preview of this play and knew it was a "must see." We are so glad we went--the acting was superb and the script made excellent use of the primary documents on which the play is based. WWII is still raw in Britain, where we have lived, and now we see how raw it can still be here.
