Billy Bishop Goes to War
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Billy Bishop Goes to War is a Canadian musical play, written by John MacLachlan Gray and Eric Peterson. One of the most famous and widely-produced plays in Canadian theatre, it dramatizes the life of Canadian World War I fighter pilot Billy Bishop.
The play had its premiere at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 11, 1978. Peterson played 18 different characters, and Gray accompanied on piano and vocals. The original production toured across Canada, and also was staged in Washington, DC, both on Broadway and off-Broadway in New York City, at the Edinburgh Festival, in Los Angeles and at the Comedy Theatre in London. During the international tour, a second production, starring Cedric Smith with musical accompaniment by Ross Douglas, continued touring across Canada.
The libretto was published in 1981 by Talonbooks.
In 1998, Gray and Peterson revised the show, adding one new song and presenting events through the eyes of a much older Bishop recalling his wartime exploits. They again toured the new production across Canada.
Many Canadian theatre companies have also staged productions of Billy Bishop with other actors.
[edit] Awards
The play won the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Award in 1981, the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award in 1982 and the Governor General's Award for English Drama in 1983.
[edit] Recordings
A cast recording starring Peterson and Gray was released in 1979. A recording of the revised play was released in 1999.
CBC Television and the BBC also coproduced a television adaptation.
