Billy Bishop Goes to War
Encyclopedia
Billy Bishop Goes to War is a Canadian
musical
, written by John MacLachlan Gray and Eric Peterson
. One of the most famous and widely-produced plays in Canadian theatre, it dramatizes the life of Canadian World War I
fighter pilot Billy Bishop
.
, British Columbia
on November 3, 1978. Peterson played 18 different characters, and Gray accompanied on piano and vocals. The original production toured across Canada, and also was staged in Washington, DC, both on Broadway
and off-Broadway
in New York City
, at the Edinburgh Festival
, in Los Angeles
and at the Comedy Theatre in London
. During the international tour, a second production, starring Cedric Smith
with musical accompaniment by Ross Douglas
, continued touring across Canada.
The libretto
was published in 1981 by Talonbooks
.
The show was produced on Broadway
at the Morosco Theatre
from May 29, 1980 to June 7, 1980, closing after 12 performances and 7 previews. It then moved to Off-Broadway
at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
from June 17, 1980 to August 24, 1980.
In 1998, Gray and Peterson revised the show, adding one new song and presenting events through the eyes of a much older Bishop recalling his wartime exploits. They again toured the new production across Canada.
The show was produced at the Soulpepper Theatre in August 2009. In 2010, a second revision was made and was performed, with the original actors, at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto from January 22 to February 27, 2010. In an interview prior to that production, Eric Peterson stated:
In 2011 the show was performed as part of the repertory
summer season at Frinton-on-Sea
. The production was directed by Tom Littler
.
Many Canadian theatre companies have also staged productions of Billy Bishop with other actors. The Persephone Theatre
, Saskatoon
, performed the show March 3–17, 2010.
in 1982 and the Governor General's Award for English Drama
in 1983.
CBC Television
and the BBC
also coproduced a television adaptation.
Excerpts from the play also appear in the National Film Board of Canada
documentary, The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, written by John MacLachlan Gray and Eric Peterson
Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson, C.M. is a Canadian stage and television actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland.-Personal life:...
. One of the most famous and widely-produced plays in Canadian theatre, it dramatizes the life of Canadian World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter pilot Billy Bishop
Billy Bishop
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen Sound,...
.
Productions
The play premiered at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
on November 3, 1978. Peterson played 18 different characters, and Gray accompanied on piano and vocals. The original production toured across Canada, and also was staged in Washington, DC, both on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and at the Comedy Theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. During the international tour, a second production, starring Cedric Smith
Cedric Smith (actor)
Cedric Smith is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He played Alec King in the CBC television series Road to Avonlea and was the voice of Professor X in the X-Men TV series.-Music:...
with musical accompaniment by Ross Douglas
Ross Douglas
Ross Douglas is a voice actor with Ocean Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is known for voicing Daniel O'Connell in Master Keaton and recently in the Black Lagoon series as Kageyama.-Roles:...
, continued touring across Canada.
The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was published in 1981 by Talonbooks
Talonbooks
Talonbooks is an independent publisher of Canadian literature, whose repertoire features authors writing in the literary genres of poetry, fiction and drama, as well as non-fiction books in the fields of ethnography, environmental and social issues, cultural studies, and literary criticism.The...
.
The show was produced on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Morosco Theatre
Morosco Theatre
The Morosco Theatre was a legitimate theatre located at 217 West 45th Street in the heart of the theater district in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States....
from May 29, 1980 to June 7, 1980, closing after 12 performances and 7 previews. It then moved to Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
Lucille Lortel Theatre
The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse located at 121 Christopher Street in New York City's Greenwich Village.The venue was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse...
from June 17, 1980 to August 24, 1980.
In 1998, Gray and Peterson revised the show, adding one new song and presenting events through the eyes of a much older Bishop recalling his wartime exploits. They again toured the new production across Canada.
The show was produced at the Soulpepper Theatre in August 2009. In 2010, a second revision was made and was performed, with the original actors, at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto from January 22 to February 27, 2010. In an interview prior to that production, Eric Peterson stated:
"We've gone through radical recasting! From a 32 year old to a 62 year old as the actor who's going to be narrating the show. In a two man play like this, it has incredibly different resonance depending on who's telling that story. In many cases, we've taken some minor rewriting for the production we did when we were 52 and updated them and changed the ending. Now at 62 we're older than Bishop ever was in the play before."
In 2011 the show was performed as part of the repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
summer season at Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
. The production was directed by Tom Littler
Tom Littler
Tom Littler is a British theatre director and the Artistic Director and founder of award-winning theatre company Primavera Productions.His West End credits include Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night which starred Helena Blackman, the runner-up of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria...
.
Many Canadian theatre companies have also staged productions of Billy Bishop with other actors. The Persephone Theatre
Persephone Theatre
Persephone Theatre, is a theatre company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The theatre company was founded in 1974 by Janet and Susan Wright and named after the greek goddess Persephone. The first season performances were held at the Mendel Art Gallery, with the second season at the...
, Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, performed the show March 3–17, 2010.
Awards
The play won the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Award in 1981, the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play AwardFloyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Awards were a Canadian literary award, given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having at least ten performances in the Toronto area....
in 1982 and the Governor General's Award for English Drama
1983 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1983 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Leon Rooke, Shakespeare's DogOther Finalists:...
in 1983.
Recordings and other media
A cast recording starring Peterson and Gray was released in 1979. A recording of the revised play was released in 1999.CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
also coproduced a television adaptation.
Excerpts from the play also appear in the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
documentary, The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
The Kid Who Couldn't Miss is a 1982 docudrama directed by Paul Cowan. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it combines fact and fiction to question fighter pilot Billy Bishop's accomplishments during World War I, featuring excerpts from John MacLachlan Gray's play Billy Bishop Goes to...
.