Billy Bishop Goes to War is the story of a boy who became a hero, as well as the story of the legendary fighter pilot and his memories of the First World War. As April approaches and we begin to recite our usual end-of -term mantras, (You know the ones: my life is so hard! Why the hell did I need to take stats? I’m so busy, I’m so stressed, I’m so busy, I’m so stressed!), this play may provide us with a much needed reality check.

Billy Bishop was 24 when he was fighting for his life on a daily basis. In comparison, I am 24, and I fought with my coffee machine this morning. That’s about equal, right?
The play was created by UBC alumnus and Order of Canada recipient John Gray and Corner Gas star Eric Peterson. The playwrights met as students in the Department of Theatre at UBC in the early 1970s.

Billy Bishop premiered in 1978 with its creators in the lead roles at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Since then it has received 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.

The current star is twenty-something Ryan Beil, who in 1998 saw Eric Peterson’s return performance and, in that moment, decided that he wanted to be an actor. Beil is a UBC BFA graduate in very high demand. (You most likely saw his dorky character in recent A&W ads, but he has also graced some of the biggest stages in BC).
Standing on a stark stage, our hero Billy attempts to reconcile his contradictory views of the war. The war clearly brings with it horror and brutality, but it also gives Billy the exhilarating opportunity to fly.

The war is the source of his joy and his pain, and the paradox is not lost on Bishop.

Billy Bishop captures the complexity of a soldier’s experience, the humour, the hell, and the adrenaline. As we contemplate the harsh questions brought about by the current war in Afghanistan, it is important that we be reminded that there is always a human being behind every uniform.
In the crunch of term papers and exams, take the time to see this show. The acting and direction are superb and a bit more perspective when contemplating our lives is always necessary. Isn’t it interesting how the counterfeit world of the stage can so radically bring us back into the reality of the world around us?

Billy Bishop Goes to War by the Arts Club Theatre Company runs March 25–April 17, 2010 at the Granville Island Stage, every night at 8:00pm.

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