10 Fat Germans!

This is another belated one after another busy week, but last week, I caught The Wipers Times, which was playing at Manchester's Opera House as part of its UK tour. Written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, it is playing its tour direct from its West End run at the Arts Theatre. Funnily enough, it was in contention to be picked as my birthday show in London - and then we found out it was going on tour, so we picked Half A Sixpence instead. Even better is that we used this touring version as a belated birthday outing for my Dad, who had discovered this in the first place.

Anyways, I digress. Based on a true story, the show follows a group of WW1 British soldiers based in Ypres, Belgium, who decide to create a satirical newspaper: The Wipers Times, named as such as Wipers was how the British pronounced Ypres.... For someone who has a French degree, this is a massive facepalm....

If you are fan of Ian Hislop, whether it be Private Eye, or his appearances on Have I Got News For You, or you like shows such as Radio 4's The News Quiz (like my Dad), then this is show is right up your alley. Hilarious, and full of his typical sarcastic and satirical humour, there are plenty of opportunities for a good chuckle. Classic examples of this is when they showcase the newspaper articles on stage, which are done as vaudevillian sketches just at the back of the stage as we see Captain Roberts (played by James Dutton) or any of the other soldiers writing the article alongside. Its not all laughs though, as we see some tender moments, including one in particular between Roberts and his wife (played by Emilia Williams); and we soon realise how important the paper is in helping the soldiers escaping the horrors of the war.

To be honest, I don't really want to give any more away, as I want you to go along to this and see it for yourself. Check the website to see if it coming to a venue near you =)