Battle of Waterloo: The Stage Production

Outside the theater’s marquee promised a deep and moving exposition of The Battle of Waterloo.

The theater audience grew quiet as the curtains opened to reveal an old man sleeping soundly on a sofa in a living room. The old man’s large screen television displayed an annoying shade of grey lifelessness, like televisions do when a station has gone off the air for the evening.

An actor entered the stage appearing very ghostly, and seemed to drift towards the back of the sofa on which the man slept. From there he announced, “I am the Ghost of Henry’s long forgotten Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, and still Great Uncle. It just so happens that I died a horrible and tragic death on the Battlefield at Waterloo. My presence is warranted as a reminder to old Henry here, about my very existence. If he is going to continue to research his ancestry, he needs my help, and I refused to be overlooked.”

The audience was immediately stunned, as none would have suspected that anyone would attempt to make the Battle of Waterloo into an improvisational comedy, like that of the story of Scrooge. The rapid fire succession with which the ghostly actor repeated the word “Great” uncountable times did prove to be hysterical, yet unnerving. Some audience members were evidently offended, and began to leave.

Turning to address the audience, Henry’s Great Uncle’s ghost continued, “I’m about to share with Henry my story as I take him on a journey back in time to the battle of Waterloo.”

The stage lights slowly dimmed, and the curtain closed. We could hear the incredibly loud, unprofessional commotion as stage hands prepared the stage for the next scene. There was so much noise, it would have been impossible to hear the person sitting next to you, if they were talking.

When the curtains opened again, the theater’s stage was crafted to appear to be the crest of a ridge, like the battle scenes I’ve seen painted of Waterloo, a village just south of Brussels. The backdrop was painted to resemble cloudy white and gray skies blended with sparse reminders of a waning blue sky.

For the second act, the stage presented a hauntingly realistic enough vista. From the seats in the darkened theater, faux smoke could be seen flooding the stage. Muffled sounds of the surrounding distant battle reenactments added realism to this unusual production.

Having attended local outdoor battle reenactments before, and after the awkward opening of this stage play, members of the audience showed signs of questioning their resolve about staying.

As it turned out, the second act was completely fascinating. The attempt to portray a microscopic perspective into one single soldier’s experience on the battlefield of Waterloo was marvelous; though many audience members had issues with the comedic opening.

The rasping voice of the actor playing Henry’s Great Uncle resonated throughout the theater:
“At the time of the battle of Waterloo, I was just one of the fair numbers of old veterans in Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. I remember the time and date well; it was June 18th, 1815. The incessant rains of the previous days had soaked the ground, turning it into a muddy quagmire, which hampered our army’s movements, as well as the movements of our cavalry and artillery.”

The second acts opening proved to be staged brilliantly. The play was being performed around one central character, Henry’s long forgotten, Great (many times over) Uncle, when he was an old soldier, who lay at death’s door during the battle of Waterloo. The speaker was portrayed as a shadowy, disembodied ghost of the old dying soldier. The ghost actor gave the appearance he was hovering, ever so slightly, behind and to the side of the dying soldier. Battle scenes raged all around the figure of the dead soldier; the sights and sounds were effectively muffled and blurred giving visual and audible prominence to the old, mortally wounded soldier lying on the ground, and his ghostly counterpart. The performance was staged in such a way as to allow the audience, to listen as the spirit ghost tells the story of his death.

The actor’s monologue continued:
“On the morning of the 18th the sun shone most gloriously, and so clear was the atmosphere that we could see the long, imposing lines of the enemy distinctly. Immediately in front of the division to which I once belonged, and, I should imagine, as much as a half a mile from us, were posted cavalry and artillery. To my right and left, the French had already engaged us.

Listen. Do you hear the incessant, measured booming artillery, accompanied by the incessant rattling echoes of musket shots?

I died this day somewhere between the third and fourth volley of artillery rounds, but let me not get ahead of myself.

Even in my after life, I will not forget the awful grandeur of the enemies charge. I saw the splendor of the sun’s ray’s reflection dance off of the large approaching masses of our enemy’s cavalry, like I’ve seen sunlight do as it catches an ocean wave.”

The ghostly actor’s performance continued on, sometimes in excruciating detail, about the harrowing battles of Waterloo. The surrounding background scenery continued to change and morph into different vistas. The troupe held us mesmerized, as well as amused, as we watched and listened to the battle of waterloo.

The first intermission barely came soon enough for many of the audience.

The last act showed a woman, obviously Henry’s wife, attempting to wake him from his historic dreams of the battle of Waterloo. It was as awkward an ending, as was the opening scene.

Over the next few days the troupe perfected its performance. They packed up and left our little town, leaving memorable stories to tell about their different and amusing presentation of the battles of Waterloo.

The last anyone heard they were planning an off Broadway production at one of the little theaters in New York City.

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Word Count: 1000

Written for

FORUM

The Writer's Cramp - Poetry Week  (13+) Write the best POEM in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPs! #333655 by Sophy

The Prompt:
Write a story and use in it:
And old man with a dream
Waterloo
A battle replayed by actors