Guy Masterson - A Master of Poignant Poetry
Guy Masterson brings the trenches of the Great War to life in his one-man show Anthem for a Doomed Youth, one of four performances in his #LestWeForget series, at the Bakehouse Theatre this Fringe season. Whether performing solo or with an accompanying cast, he consistently brings excellent productions to Adelaide and this is no exception; the show features Masterson expertly and passionately presenting a moving compilation of poems and prose from both respective sides of No-Mans Land.
Masterson deliberately and effectively performs the written work of both German and British soldiers to illustrate the underlying futility of the war that demanded such a devastating toll from both sides of the battlefield. The audience is “dropped in straight away” into an intense recitation of an extract from All Quiet on the Western Front which was written from the perspective of a traumatised German solider who “see(s) men living with their skulls blown open.” Similarly, the German poem Prayer Before Battle by Alfred Lichtenstein is performed in a “German lilt”. This, along with a single focused spotlight centred on Masterson’s face, provides the audience with a unique German perspective that …show more content…
Despite the tense and distraught British and German cultures of World War 1 which are represented in the literature heavily contrasting our modern day society, Masterson’s performance is so personal and intimate that is impossible not to empathise with the individuals and their suffering. Although it is evident that the younger audience in the theatre desired a more involved use of technology to appeal to their generation, Masterson's clarity of voice, memorisation of the texts and emotional presentation are to be admired by audiences of all
Guy Masterson brings the trenches of the Great War to life in his one-man show Anthem for a Doomed Youth, one of four performances in his #LestWeForget series, at the Bakehouse Theatre this Fringe season. Whether performing solo or with an accompanying cast, he consistently brings excellent productions to Adelaide and this is no exception; the show features Masterson expertly and passionately presenting a moving compilation of poems and prose from both respective sides of No-Mans Land.
Masterson deliberately and effectively performs the written work of both German and British soldiers to illustrate the underlying futility of the war that demanded such a devastating toll from both sides of the battlefield. The audience is “dropped in straight away” into an intense recitation of an extract from All Quiet on the Western Front which was written from the perspective of a traumatised German solider who “see(s) men living with their skulls blown open.” Similarly, the German poem Prayer Before Battle by Alfred Lichtenstein is performed in a “German lilt”. This, along with a single focused spotlight centred on Masterson’s face, provides the audience with a unique German perspective that …show more content…
Despite the tense and distraught British and German cultures of World War 1 which are represented in the literature heavily contrasting our modern day society, Masterson’s performance is so personal and intimate that is impossible not to empathise with the individuals and their suffering. Although it is evident that the younger audience in the theatre desired a more involved use of technology to appeal to their generation, Masterson's clarity of voice, memorisation of the texts and emotional presentation are to be admired by audiences of all