Musical about Canada’s greatest First World War pilot returns to Chilliwack

Theatre production Billy Bishop Goes to War is flying into Chilliwack later this month.

ACE Productions will bring the adventures of Canada’s greatest First World War pilot Billy Bishop to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Nov. 21.

This Governor General’s Award-winning musical documents the heroic exploits of the Canadian flying ace. From feats of daring down into the trenches, to flying up to the skies, through the halls of Buckingham Palace, to inside the human spirit, Billy Bishop Goes to War highlights the struggle of reconciling the ecstasy of flying with the horrors of war.

Bishop was the number-one Canadian flying ace of the First World War, and not only did he do extremely well, he also survived. Living came with all kinds of ironies, much more than dying in the war did.

Nearing the end of his life, an aged Bishop recounts the triumphs and horrors of the First World War, “the war to end all wars.” Through raucous stories, haunting memories, and vibrant song, Bishop traces his journey from Royal Military College troublemaker to the top flying ace of the British Empire.

Officially credited with 72 victorious flying missions, Bishop’s missions made him the top Canadian ace in the First World War, and one of the few Canadian pilots to win the Victoria Cross for his daring early-morning solo attack on a German Aerodrome.

This intimate and powerful story highlights the human cost of war on a scale the world had never seen before.

Billy Bishop Goes to War is coming to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors and $30 for youths, and can be purchased at the Centre Box Office, online at www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca, or by calling 604-391-SHOW(7469).

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