Post by joem on May 14, 2022 21:54:38 GMT
Ben Brown's play shines a light on an unlikely episode which occurred towards the end of the European part of the Second World War, when Dr Kersten, the Finnish masseur who treated Himmler (by this point aspiring to succeed Hitler and hoping to negotiate peace with the Western Allies), persuades the latter to meet with Norbert Masur, a representative of the World Jewish Congress, with a view to releasing some Jews from the concentration (death) camps in which they were being held and murdered.
This is a bit like "Copenhagen", a play which speculates on what happened during a real incident from the war but, unlike the former, since there was testimony available from two of the three participants, one must assume the facts are broadly correct and only the dialogue is imagined. The playwright manages to convey a lot of information without too much exposition and we get a sense of the moral dilemma Masur faces in trying to save lives by negotiating with someone who has been responsible for millions of deaths.
Good performances from all the cast, although Richard Clothier looks much taller than what I imagined Himmler to be, everyone keeps their accent more or less, in a play which does not require the depiction of strong emotions - restraint all round is the order of the day - despite the horrifying subject matter under discussion.
Nicely staged, simple setting but the cold light behind the stage with the treetops silhouetted, aided by the air conditioning, did give the stage a cool country estate feel.
This is a bit like "Copenhagen", a play which speculates on what happened during a real incident from the war but, unlike the former, since there was testimony available from two of the three participants, one must assume the facts are broadly correct and only the dialogue is imagined. The playwright manages to convey a lot of information without too much exposition and we get a sense of the moral dilemma Masur faces in trying to save lives by negotiating with someone who has been responsible for millions of deaths.
Good performances from all the cast, although Richard Clothier looks much taller than what I imagined Himmler to be, everyone keeps their accent more or less, in a play which does not require the depiction of strong emotions - restraint all round is the order of the day - despite the horrifying subject matter under discussion.
Nicely staged, simple setting but the cold light behind the stage with the treetops silhouetted, aided by the air conditioning, did give the stage a cool country estate feel.
