The Long and the Short and the Tall (play)

For the 1961 film, see The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961 film).

The Long and the Short and the Tall

Written by	Willis Hall
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
Mute	Japanese Soldier
Date premiered	7 January 1959 (1959-01-07)
Place premiered	Royal Court Theatre, London
Subject	Japanese Invasion of British Malaya during World War II.
Setting	January 1942 An abandoned tin mine in the Malayan jungle

The Long and the Short and the Tall is a play written by British playwright Willis Hall. Set in World War II, 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.^[1]

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.

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

↑ Roberts, Philip (1999). The Royal Court Theatre and the Modern Stage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 68–75. ISBN 0-521-47438-8.

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