Theatre Review: “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” at Playhouse on Park Invites You To Stop and Listen

Savannah Brooks ’26

Editor-in-Chief

There is something incredibly intimate about an a capella performance in a blackbox theatre. While “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” at Playhouse on Park (PoP) is much more than a performance of music, the nine singers (too many to list here, but can be found on the theatre’s website. Music direction by Benjamin Rauch) who spend nearly the entire 75 minutes singing traditionals and carols from England, Scotland, Germany and France are undeniably electric and sit at the core of this production. In the small space that PoP provides, the men’s voices fill the space effortlessly without the help of microphones or, for most of the show, even instruments. 

“All Is Calm” does not provide much of a story, and there are only a few characters who have more than one line. Essentially, the show follows British soldiers in World War I as they go off to war, make their way to the front and strike an unofficial Christmas truce with their German enemies. This occurs through the three actors in the company (with the help of the vocalists at times, actors in their own right) delivering excerpts from the writings of real soldiers. Those soldiers’ names are also delivered by the actors as they are touchingly projected onto the upstage wall (subtle yet impactful projection design by Doaa Ouf). 

Without specific throughlines to follow, “All Is Calm” can be a touch meandering at times, painting too-broad strokes of the soldiers’ experiences. While the actors’ dialect work is remarkably accurate (dialect coach Michael Samuel Kaplan is tasked with covering nearly every county of the British Isles plus some regions of Western Europe), the lack of consistency in the characters they are playing sometimes creates a tendency to overshoot emotional beats. However, the show perpetually remains anchored in the incredible performances of its vocalists (all of whom have classical/operatic backgrounds). 

The small set (Johann Fitzpatrick) is simple but coherent, allowing for a large playing space for the ensemble of men. It is, at times, compromised by lighting choices (also by Fitzpatrick) which do not properly light the actors in key emotional moments. However, most of the time, more creative lighting choices effectively cement the production in the trench environment, helped by the thoughtful costume design of Micah Ohno (if the German helmets have a plasticky sheen, it can probably be attributed to budgetary restrictions). Overall, the design of the production proves the effectiveness of PoP’s small space (and gives the actors creative places to hide in character while the vocalists are performing). Sasha Brätt’s ’03 direction creates a natural flow to the production with no side of the audience neglected for too long.

“All Is Calm” is well worth catching (particularly at the student rush price of $20), if only for the sheer beauty of the vocal performances in a space where they can be appreciated to the maximum effect. And, if you are a history buff, you will appreciate the use of personal writings and the effectiveness in the production’s creation of a trench environment. While the depiction of the war is a touch sanitized, there is plenty of rumination on who decides what in wartime (“If the Kaiser were here, we’d shoot him ourselves,” one German remarks during the truce) and the purpose of the conflict itself (one musical highlight is a performance of “Auld Lang Syne” to the lyrics, “We’re here because we’re here”). It is a thoughtful break from the “A Christmas Carol”s of the holiday season.  “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” runs through Dec. 21 at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford. Students get 20% off tickets bought in advance and can purchase $20 rush tickets 15 minutes before curtain. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online.