Review: The Last Bantam, EdFringe

It’s no news that the First World War stands out as a nadir of European history. A war in which millions lost their lives and very little was resolved beyond setting the stage for an even worse conflict only 20 years later. Despite this, the First World War remains singular in our minds for just how miserable it was for the men fighting through the horrors of trench warfare. It’s into this well-known storm of steel and death that Michael Hughes offers fresh theatrical insight with The Last Bantam.

Hughes stars as the titular bantam, one of the men recruited as British Army soldiers specifically for the fact that they were between 5’0 and 5’3 feet tall. Small men, as Hughes points out; men who suffered stigma in all walks of life due to their size, men who we are told were initially refused during recruitment despite their willingness to volunteer, simply because of their size, who then found a new purpose once the Army realised their natural advantage in the trenches. The hero of this one man show, Patrick Michael Wolfe, is the last one still kicking.

It’s these themes of identity, and the hardships that one’s innate personal qualities can bring, alongside a solid and gripping narrative of desperate battles fought across the pockmarked fields of France and Belgium, that lend this play a wonderful heart. Not only does Patrick suffer and persevere against the odds as a Bantam, but also as an Irishman fighting a British war. Joining up in 1914, believing that volunteering would help win self-government for Ireland, by the end of the war Patrick is part of the same Army that bombs Dublin to the ground in 1916.

It’s a story that reminds us that history is truly alive, that no period was ever simply good guys versus bad guys or that there were even clear, well-defined sides to begin with. Where should Patrick’s sympathies and loyalties lie after all he’s been through? What does he fight for beyond simple survival? Will he even survive? It’s having us ask all these questions and keeping us on the edge of our seats throughout, with an expert and heartfelt performance from Hughes, that easily cements this play as one of the best historical pieces I’ve seen all year. Highly recommended for all history buffs,

Written, performed and produced by Michael Hughes

The Last Bantam plays at EdFringe until Saturday 23 August.