Privates On Parade! review: Union, London
WHAT better escape from the smog and slums of Victorian London than the tropical jungle of Peter Nichols’s Privates On Parade!
UNION THEATRE
Here, five young men, one mixed-race woman and a middle-aged female impersonator tour Malaya entertaining the forces during the 1948 state of emergency.
The variety show format enables Nichols to do what he does best: embed social and political comment in popular entertainment.
The diverse routines give the stylish Simon Green the opportunity to parody Marlene Dietrich, Carmen Miranda, Vera Lynn and Noel Coward.
The wonderfully deadpan Callum Coates commands a versatile troupe in Kirk Jameson’s exuberant production.
Privates On Parade!: Union, London SE1 (Tickets: 020 7261 9876/uniontheatre.biz; £22.50)
