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A huge thank you to The Chameleons for supplying the photos though I have used Book Brush to turn one of them into a suitable Feature Image. Also thanks to them for permission to share quotes from the cast of Lilies on the Land.
It was a great pleasure to see The Chameleon Theatre Group’s latest production, Lilies on the Land, on Thursday 27th July 2023. Good to see a contingent from Chandler’s Ford Today – Janet and Ben Williams and Gopi Chandroth. (Do check out Gopi’s excellent review if you haven’t already – see in related posts below).
About Lilies on the Land
Lilies on the Land was written by The Lions and is a humorous and often poignant look at wartime life based on the real experiences of members of the Women’s Land Army. These were the women who gave up the comforts of home to go and work on farms around the country to do their bit for the war effort. The work was hard and the days were long. Conditions weren’t great. Some women had never seen cows before. They had to learn to cope with the typical levels of muck and smells on a farm – quickly too.
Given merchant shipping was bombed throughout World War Two, the idea being to force Britain to surrender via the threat of starvation, it is hard to over-estimate how important the work of the Women’s Land Army was.
This two act play is made of up of stories and memories which were taken from real life experiences shared in interviews and letters from the original Women’s Land Army ladies. The acts were divided into the war years of 1939-1942 and, after the interval, from 1942-1945.
Effective use of war songs, including We’ll Meet Again, helped set the scene (many of us in the audience joined in) and I loved the use of Pathe News radio newsreels throughout the production. That helped give a great sense of time passing. One which stood out in particular was Churchill’s “some chicken, some neck” speech. See the YouTube clip below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTrr5ebRFUI
The Chameleons often have a ploughman’s supper as part of their summer production. They did here too. It is almost certainly the most appropriate play to have that for!
About the Women’s Land Army
Useful Website Links
https://www.womenslandarmy.co.uk/
https://www.womenslandarmy.co.uk/world-war-two/
Do check out the above website. Lots of information here for those wanting to know more. One thing that struck me with this play was that I am only two generations away from those who went through the war (and if you count children, only one generation away). As far as history is concerned, that isn’t much at all.
I found the play brought back memories for me about what my parents told me about what their parents experienced. I suspect I wasn’t the only one in the audience who found themselves thinking back.
My late parents were children when war broke out, both were evacuated, though Dad was too young to go to begin with and got through the Blitz with his mother. His father was invalided out of the Army (I have a picture of him in uniform) and became an ARP warden and fire watcher. There were some horrific sights.
On my mother’s side, my grandfather could not fight (medical reasons) but he served in a reserved occupation. He was one of those making munitions in the Woolwich Arsenal. They were forever being bombed out. In many ways, and for so many other families, there is a sense well, actually, we’re lucky to be here at all.
The play brought that to the fore and it was so moving as a result.
About the Play and Quotes from the Cast
A sign of a great play is when you don’t want to miss a thing. The way the girls shared their experiences kept you gripped. I liked the balance between humorous and grim moments. The land girls were not always treated well by those they went to assist and the play reflected that too. But, more positively, life long friendships developed.
And when they could go into the nearest town/village to shop, that was a treat. There was mention of using an eyebrow pencil to draw a stocking seam on the backs of legs. I remember my mother telling me that it was not unknown for a thin line of gravy browning to be used for the same purpose!
Stories like that made it even more understandable that when the US entered the war with their soldiers here, when they gave out candy, nylons, chewing gum etc., that may well have seemed like manna from heaven. People here had already been going through a great deal of hardship (and there are clear parallels with what is going on now with the war on Ukraine too).
There was a great use of sound and lighting effects to show VE Day (and a poignant reminder from the girls that the war was still going on in the Far East). On their Facebook page, The Chameleons shared some quotes from the cast and they’ve kindly given me permission to share them again here.
Eddie is Liz Finbow
“I’m finding this play very moving, with its humour and poignancy. Set in World War 2, it reminds me of lots of stories shared with me about my family’s experiences at this time. Past roles with Chameleons include playing Signora Frapelli and Geppetto.”
Vera is Clare Britton
“Amdram is always an important part of my life and I’ve been an active member of Chameleons for seven years. I play ‘Vera’ in Lilies on the Land and am loving it. She is a straight talking, no nonsense character who has some sad experiences – but a lot of funny ones too! It’s amazing what the Land Girls did during the war, yet we don’t actually know much about them — they, sadly, really are ‘The Forgotten Army’.”
Margie is Angharad Warren
“Hello! My name is Angharad and this is my first production with Chameleons and my first time back on-stage since 2020… Performing has always been a strong part of my life, collaborating and performing in theatres like National Theatre, Royal Albert Hall and Her Majesty’s Theatre. It’s great to be back on the stage!”
Peggy is Yvonne Stroud
“Hi there, I’m Yvonne and this will be my first production with the Chameleon Theatre Company after recently moving to Chandler’s Ford. I initially joined the group to meet new people and I have had an absolute blast in the process of putting this show together! I love going to the theatre and I can’t wait for my turn to be on the stage!
Lucie Stranack who plays Poppy
“I’m Lucie and I’m playing Poppy in Lilies on the Land. Since I was young, I’ve immersed myself in the world of pantomimes, plays, and musicals. Through hard work and dedication, I graduated with a 1st class honours degree in Performing Arts. I’ve had the privilege of creating shows, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and touring Europe as a technician and stage manager.”
About The Performance
The performances were wonderful. The ladies brought the land girl women to life beautifully. And I laughed when a smashing link with the all time great comedy, Dad’s Army, came up. The link? A certain song which came up during that fabulous episode The Deadly Attachment.
Pike played by Ian Lavender (and whom I believe is the only cast member still with us) sings it. The captured German commandant played by the much missed Philip Madoc tells Pike his name will go down on the list and then wants to know what the name is. Out comes Captain Mainwaring with the all time great line, ‘Don’t tell him, Pike!’
And the song which led to this? Sung to the tune, Whistle While You Work, Pike comes out with “Whistle while you work, Hitler is a twerp. He’s half barmy, so’s his army, whistle while you work.”
Now the good ladies of the Women’s Land Army, as played by the Chameleons, came up with a second verse to this. It mocked Mussolini’s physical attributes and can’t be repeated here! Must admit it made me laugh but then that was the idea of songs like this. They did cheer people up. Having now heard that second verse, I now know why Pike didn’t go on to sing that bit!
Oh and this will bring back memories too – enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YMVPXmaKds
Conclusion
The play was appreciated by all in the audience. It was wonderfully written, performed excellently, and did shine a light on part of our history which is so often overlooked. Well done to all at The Chameleons for their hard work on this. And a bigger thank you to the Women’s Land Army who, along with those who fought, should not be forgotten. We owe them a great debt. A poignant, moving, and often funny play – it was great.
Related Posts:-
The Chameleons: Blackadder Goes Forth – Review by Allison Symes
Review: All My Sons – Excellent Production by Chameleon Theatre Company
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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