The Sheenant Chronicles, Michael Sheen Edition: 'Oh! What A Lovely War'
An offshoot from my collaboration with Patricia Browning's 'A Tennantcy to Act'
As Patricia Browning and I have discovered, the lives of Michael Sheen and David Tennant are linked not just by recent roles (including the upcoming finale to Good Omens), but by the inextricable bond that ties them not only by choice but by generational circumstances.
With Michael’s schooling in theatre, he had the fortune to be involved (like David) in a capacity that saw him flourish well before his entrance into higher education. As he honed those abilities at London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from 1988 to 1991, he drew upon two previous theatrical ventures: West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company (WGYTC) located near his hometown of Port Talbot and then at the National Youth Theatre of Wales (NYTW) in Cardiff.
It’s at the latter where the focus will be for this piece, amid an interesting turn for the ensemble and Michael’s role in a well-known play and film from the 1960s. But first, here is Michael from 2019 at Bute Park in Cardiff (during a break in the Homeless World Cup, which he helped fund), speaking to the incoming class at the (now titled) National Youth Arts Wales.
Neges gan Michael Sheen | A message from Michael Sheen/© National Youth Arts Wales/YouTube
During Michael’s tenure in the early to late ‘80s, he was engaged in several productions at both WGYTC and NYTW. In September 1986, the NYTW was celebrating its 10th anniversary with a tour, linking three plays: Oh! What a Lovely War, The Lost Hitchhiker’s Guide to Wales and the Welsh-language Sganarelle. S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru) Channel Four Wales and HTV (HTV Cymru Wales) gifted the funds to NYTW for all three productions. It would be the first time since 1980 that the company would take the shows out of the South Valleys.
“All our shows this year are big ones with lots of music and dancing, and this is deliberate to give everyone a chance to be involved.” — NYTW Director Alan Vaughan Williams, from The South Wales Echo
As a ramp-up to this, Michael would have been specially chosen for this series. In a newspaper report from The South Wales Evening Post on July 21, it was noted that only a few slots were open for the NYTW tour, as students were coming from comprehensive and drama schools in the mid-Glamorgan (Morgannwg Ganol) area. Only 48 students were chosen and at 17, Michael may well have already secured a prestigious spot, having worked at the NYTW in the previous year.
Originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play in 1961 and first produced in 1963 by Joan Littlewood and the Theatre Workshop, Oh! What a Lovely War was a musical satire on World War I with multiple roles and showcased several well-known songs including “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag.” The play premiered on Broadway in September 1964 and was nominated for four Tony Awards, with Welsh-born actor Victor Spinetti winning for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.
A film adaptation in 1969 was Richard Attenborough’s directorial debut and starred a veritable potpourri of the UK’s finest actors, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Borgarde, eventual BAFTA-winner Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Phyllis Calvert. The NYTW production therefore was riding on high ground and coincidentally was the first play staged by the theatre when it formed in 1976.
There are no granular (public) details as to what role Michael was cast for in Oh! What a Lovely War. However, out of the three mentioned, he most definitely participated in this play. After summer rehearsals, the musical went on the road to the Theatr Hafren in Newtown on September 1 & 2, the Theatr Gwynedd in Bangor on September 3 and then on September 5 & 6 at the Bute Theatre at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.
Within this timeframe and locales are a curious aside. Based on available research at this point in 2025, it would seem that Oh! What a Lovely War was the only play out of the three he was cast. However, as for the locales, here is the conundrum. In a 2021 interview for The Theatre Gal, Michael was asked to “describe a funny scene (based on a funny moment from your life).”
I would mix together my favourite theatre anecdote with something that once happened to me a long time ago on a tour with my youth theatre. Performing in a new theatre every couple of days it was easy to get confused backstage whilst we toured with Oh! What A Lovely War. On the first night in Aberystwyth, I was crossing sides backstage for one of the numerous character/costume changes in the production and found myself totally lost whilst looking for the stage right wings to make my next entrance. I'd open a door hoping it would lead to where I needed to be only to find a broom cupboard or a door to the car park!
All whilst hearing my cue getting closer and closer on the tannoy system echoing through the corridors. Finally, it came and went with me desperately running around like I was in some Kafka-esque nightmare!
That Michael remembered Aberystwyth as a location for the play would place that at odds with accounts stating only Newtown, Bangor, and Cardiff for that production. However, Michael is not far off the mark: Newtown is about an hour’s drive east inland from Aberystwyth, which sits on the western edge coastline of Wales. It’s possible, due to distance in time, coupled with a long bus ride as a teenager with dozens of other young actors, that he’s speaking to this memory. As an addendum, The Hafren is still a functioning theatre, located on the grounds of Newtown College, now part of NPTC Group of Colleges, formerly Neath Port Talbot College and Coleg Powys.
This is only one drop in the bucket in Michael’s early theatre work. If you’re interested, for those in the UK and the US, you can donate to the National Youth Arts Wales (Celfyddydau Cenedlaethol Ieuenctid Cymru) here.
There is much more to come!
