‘A man called Chamberlain who did Prime Minister impressions spoke on the wireless; he said, “As from eleven o’clock we are at war with Germany”. (I loved the “we”). “War?” said Mother. “It must be something we said,” said Father…’
Spike Milligan has been a greatly influential and admired figure in British comedy for decades. He is up there with the Monty Pythons of this world, engineering what we now know to be ‘alternative comedy,’ and noted as its ‘Godfather’ by no less than the ‘executive transvestite’, Eddie Izzard.
This month at the Theatre Royal we are to be treated to a stage adaptation of Milligan’s opening WWII memoirs, adapted by Ben Power and Tim Carroll; Carroll to direct.
Alongside Rommel? Gunner Who?, Mussolini: His Part in my Downfall and others, Milligan grants a hysterical image of war, the men that fuelled its fire and the feeling of uselessness as he and his comrades fall bored while young men are elsewhere living in constant fear. The books sit in line with the likes of Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 and the adaptation for the stage promises as much as Joan Littlewood’s Oh, What a Lovely War! We can expect satire, comradely comedy and musical numbers, as well as ‘barrack room comedy and nudity’, says the Theatre Royal.
It is nothing short of a tragedy that Milligan’s radio career is becoming less and less regarded – admittedly the Goon Show is starting to look a little dated, albeit still hilarious – yet his writing lives on. Milligan is largely immortalised by parents who read the poetry he wrote for his children, and it is a blessing to see his work step forth in other media.
As we have seen in many comic geniuses, such as Peter Sellers and Stephen Fry, Milligan suffered from bad mental health for most of his life, but right up until the end he always had his dark wit. It was Milligan’s wish that his tombstone read the words, ‘I told you I was ill.’
Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall has been loved by London audiences and will appear in Nottingham between the 23rd and 28th November.
Nick Charity
Tags: hilter, spike milligan, ww2
