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The Long and the Short and the Tall (play)

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Written by
  
Willis Hall

First performance
  
7 January 1959

3.6/5
Goodreads

Mute
  
Japanese Soldier

Playwright
  
Willis Hall

The Long and the Short and the Tall (play) t2gstaticcomimagesqtbnANd9GcRLJmuiPGC9bueEuN

Characters
  
Sergeant R. 'Mitch' Mitchem Corporal Edward 'Johnno' Johnstone Lance-Corporal A. J. Macleish Private C. 'Bammo' Bamforth Private T. E. 'Taff' Evans Private P. 'Smudger' Smith Private Samuel 'Sammy' Whitaker

Date premiered
  
7 January 1959 (1959-01-07)

Place premiered
  
Royal Court Theatre, London

Subject
  
Japanese Invasion of British Malaya during World War II.

Adaptations
  
The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961)

Setting
  
January 1942; An abandoned tin mine in the Malayan jungle

Places premiered
  
Royal Court Theatre, London

Similar
  
The Card, To Kill a Mockingbird, Live Like Pigs, Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell, The Cryptogram

the long and the short and the tall by willis hall


The Long and the Short and the Tall is a play written by British playwright Willis Hall. Set in the Second World War, the play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in January 1959; it was directed by Lindsay Anderson and starred Peter O'Toole and Robert Shaw. It was Anderson's first major production for the Royal Court, transferring to London's West End in April 1959.

Contents

The play's name comes from the lyrics of the 1917 song "Bless 'Em All".

A film adaptation was released in 1961. Directed by Leslie Norman, it stars Laurence Harvey, Richard Harris, Richard Todd and David McCallum. A TV drama followed in 1979 which starred Michael Kitchen, Mark McManus and Richard Morant.

The long and the short and the tall clip


Plot

The play is set in British Malaya in 1942, during the Battle of Malaya. The characters are a patrol of British Army soldiers; the play's events take place in an abandoned tin mine. Tension rises as the patrol's radio malfunctions and a Japanese soldier stumbles upon them.

Characters / cast

  • Sergeant R. 'Mitch' Mitchem - The leader of the patrol, tough and experienced (Robert Shaw)
  • Corporal Edward (Ted) 'Johnno' Johnstone - The second-in-command, as tough and experienced as Mitchem, but far more callous (Edward Judd)
  • Lance-Corporal A. J. 'Mac' Macleish - A Scotsman, recently made up to lance-corporal, but has no more experience than the privates (none of whom have seen action), intelligent, short-tempered and moral (Gareth Thomas)
  • Private C. 'Bammo' Bamforth - A Londoner, witty, rebellious and hates authority, a classic barrack-room lawyer (Peter O'Toole)
  • Private T. E. 'Taff' Evans - A Welshman, pleasant and easy-going (Alfred Lynch)
  • Private P. 'Smudger' Smith - A Northerner, a quiet, family man (Bryan Pringle)
  • Private Samuel 'Sammy' Whitaker - A Geordie, the youngest member of the patrol and its radio operator, very nervy (David Andrews)
  • Japanese Soldier - Doesn't speak at any point during the play, but still plays a major role (Kenji Takaki)

    • References

    The Long and the Short and the Tall (play) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA