Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance (tour)

With war and the justification of war still very much on everyone’s minds, there could hardly be more opportune time for a revival of Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance , John Arden’s passionate 1959 polemic against
anti-imperialism.

Time, alas, is not always kind to playwrights once regarded as hugely
important, witness the demise of Arden’s contemporaries John Osborne and
Arnold Wesker, while Brecht, whose influence has been found by some in
Arden is, for many, a bore.

This production, by Oxford Stage Company, the first national revival in 20
years, didn’t convince me I had witnessed the masterpiece which some have
held the play to be. And viewers should be prepared for an odd mixture of
songs, verse – as well as prose – dancing and, what the programme notes
describe as “visceral realism.”

Four Victorian infantry, newly returned from duty overseas where the death
of a solider has prompted reprisal killings of civilians by the British,
arrive in a strike-torn northern mining town, ostensibly to recruit troops.
The authorities welcome the men and seek their help in stopping the strike,
but Serjeant Musgrave has other ideas.

While I have reservations about the play itself, it receives a vigorous
and committed staging by director Sean Holmes, whose credits include
the RSC’s current Richard III. And, while some of the acting is uneven, at
its worst veering into Catherine Cookson TV territory, there are some fine
performances including John Stahl as Private Attercliffe and a terrific
performance by Maxine Peake as Annie.

Best of the bunch however is Billy Carter who simply lights up the stage as
Private Sparky. A feature of last year’s RSC’s ‘Jacobethan’ season, he is
perhaps better known for appearances in TV’s Soldier Soldier and Holby City.
The way his swagger and blustery charm give way to confusion and distress is
acting of the highest order. It is no exaggeration to say this play is worth
seeing for his performance alone

Full credit too to designer Anthony Lamble, whose spare set provides an
attractive setting for the action which is never less than wholehearted.
Some may find the play ‘jaw jaw’, rather than ‘war war’, as Churchill had
it, but it is worth checking out.

– Pete Wood