Hitler was no match for Spike Milligan, and the outcome of the war might have been very different without the efforts of Gunner Milligan, who firmly believed that laughter was the weapon most likely to defeat the Nazis. Not that this belief made him popular with his commanding officers. A born entertainer who enjoyed playing the fool and went on to co-create The Goons, he was a genius whose memoir is full of jokey seriousness and serious jokes. Ben Power and Tim Carroll transfer Milligan's story to the stage to make a song and dance about how comedy and jazz proved more than a match for the Nazis.
• Bristol Old Vic, Sat to 18 Jul
