Billy Bishop Goes to War

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Instruments & Instruction, Piano & Keyboard, General Instruments, Fiction & Literature, Drama
Cover of the book Billy Bishop Goes to War by John Gray, Talonbooks
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Gray ISBN: 9780889227163
Publisher: Talonbooks Publication: January 4, 2013
Imprint: Talonbooks Language: English
Author: John Gray
ISBN: 9780889227163
Publisher: Talonbooks
Publication: January 4, 2013
Imprint: Talonbooks
Language: English
One of Canada’s most successful and enduring musical plays, Billy Bishop Goes to War was first published in 1982 and went on to win the Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Award and the Governor General’s Award for Drama. In 2010, the celebrated story of the World War I flying ace – credited with seventy-two victories and billed as the top pilot in the British Empire – was revised to frame the original play as a retrospective. It is the same play it always was – the difference is in the telling. Billy Bishop now appears in his later years, reflecting on his wartime exploits, and on the business of war and hero making. Bishop’s reminiscence is not so much about the horror and death of war as it is about being young and intensely alive. “The prime of life / The best of men,” Bishop sings, “It will never be / Like this again.”

A memory play about war, Billy Bishop has been going into battle onstage for more than thirty years. The Canadian classic is revisited in this second edition, where war is still a terrible thing, but some men say it was the greatest time of their lives. It’s about the ironies and the price of survival.

The play format is deceptively simple with a solo narrator who assumes multiple roles while his piano-playing sidekick offers sardonic musical comments.

Cast of 2 men.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
One of Canada’s most successful and enduring musical plays, Billy Bishop Goes to War was first published in 1982 and went on to win the Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Award and the Governor General’s Award for Drama. In 2010, the celebrated story of the World War I flying ace – credited with seventy-two victories and billed as the top pilot in the British Empire – was revised to frame the original play as a retrospective. It is the same play it always was – the difference is in the telling. Billy Bishop now appears in his later years, reflecting on his wartime exploits, and on the business of war and hero making. Bishop’s reminiscence is not so much about the horror and death of war as it is about being young and intensely alive. “The prime of life / The best of men,” Bishop sings, “It will never be / Like this again.”

A memory play about war, Billy Bishop has been going into battle onstage for more than thirty years. The Canadian classic is revisited in this second edition, where war is still a terrible thing, but some men say it was the greatest time of their lives. It’s about the ironies and the price of survival.

The play format is deceptively simple with a solo narrator who assumes multiple roles while his piano-playing sidekick offers sardonic musical comments.

Cast of 2 men.

More books from Talonbooks

Cover of the book The Strange Truth About Us by John Gray
Cover of the book Shattered Images by John Gray
Cover of the book American Notebooks by John Gray
Cover of the book Burning Vision by John Gray
Cover of the book The Refugee Hotel by John Gray
Cover of the book Espresso by John Gray
Cover of the book bpNichol by John Gray
Cover of the book Lily Briscoe by John Gray
Cover of the book The Obese Christ by John Gray
Cover of the book The Pleasure of the Crown by John Gray
Cover of the book To the Barricades by John Gray
Cover of the book Margaret Atwood by John Gray
Cover of the book Piercing by John Gray
Cover of the book Chimera by John Gray
Cover of the book Miss Take by John Gray
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy