ACTORS in the Anvil Arts production of Oh What A Lovely War, which opens at The Haymarket today, picked up pearls of wisdom from original cast member, Victor Spinetti, when he dropped in to meet them.

By a stroke of luck, the 81-year-old Welsh acting legend, who starred in Joan Littlewood’s celebrated original 1960s production, was recently in Basingstoke playing a drunken butler in Peter Gordon’s Murdered To Death at The Haymarket.

Seizing the opportunity to meet the famously animated actor, Spinetti was invited to a rehearsal and regaled the Oh What A Lovely War cast with his experiences of the show.

Spinetti said: “It was a powerful production and had a great effect on me. Initially, I didn’t relish the idea of a show about World War One. The thought of that war made me sick.

“But learning about all that went on, it made me question things. I learned that business never stops, no matter where you are and what is happening.”

The show is a chronicle of the First World War through a series of scenes with music hall songs and documents. It mixes humour, poignancy and chilling facts for a moving and educational evening of entertainment.

Spinetti said that critics loved the original production.

“They thought it was fantastic,” he said. “The difficulty was with the War Office. The Lord Chamberlain initially refused to give us permission to perform in the West End. When we performed in Paris, the audience went berserk, standing up and cheering.” Proffering his advice to the cast, Spinetti said: “If I had to sum up, then it would be to go out and entertain. Make sure you give. Let the audience find the message.”

The Haymarket production, directed by Richard Williams, opens this Thursday and runs until October 23.

Tickets are priced from £17.50, or £14.50 for matinees, with concessions available. There are two matinee performances, on October 16 and 21, at 2pm. For more information and to book call 01256 844244 or go online to anvilarts.org.uk.