THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH at Southwark Playhouse Borough
★★★★★
“Storytelling at its very, very finest. And that is a rarity that ought to be treasured”
To preface: if you can go see this, you must; you absolutely must.
The Happiest Man on Earth is earth-shatteringly moving. It is Aristotelian in the very best sense, despite not having any of the structures outlined in the Poetics. This is storytelling which cannot but leave you changed.
Directed by Ron Lagomarsino, The Happiest Man on Earth is the adaptation of Eddie Jaku’s best-selling memoir, of the same name, which was published when Jaku was 100 years old. Originally produced in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, this is the story of a German-born Jewish man who, against an unending avalanche of impossibility, survived the Holocaust. Yet, it is selfless; it is a tale of indefatigable kindness, compassion, and friendship. It is history, axiology, deontology, and all the other philosophical ‘ologies’ in one. But it is also storytelling at its very, very finest. And that is a rarity that ought to be treasured.
To conceptualise this story as a piece of theatre is perhaps to devalue it: not because theatre is not important enough, but because The Happiest Man on Earth transcends theatrical definition.
Kenneth Tigar carries this 90-minute story single-handedly, and never, not for one second, does he lose anyone’s attention. It is rare to see an actor in his more mature years – I will not say eld*rly – on stage, not to mention in a one-man performance. More remarkably, Tigar plays Eddie Jaku from 1933 (when Jaku was 13 years old) up until his old age, and at every point he has you locked in. Before the story-proper begins, Tigar greets the audience and explains the reason for telling his story: he has agreed to tell it at his grandsons’ synagogue and is scared; he doesn’t yet know if it is a story one ought to share.
Lagomarsino’s direction is also brilliant, complimenting Tigar consistently. Stage design (James Noone) and sound design (Brendan Aanes) were simple and sparse, but expertly curated, seamlessly adding to the fabric of the piece.
I am loathe to say more, or to detail any of the story itself. We are always at risk of forgetting, and worse, of neglecting history, especially its atrocities. If we are going to learn, this is the way to do it. The history of the Holocaust, in all its evil – and indeed the Banality of that Evil (thanks, Hannah Arendt) – belongs to our collective memory. We do not live in a historical vacuum. Our relationship to existence and to each other should be informed by the past and our relationship to it.
To postface: The woman next to me watched this with the repeated refrain of ‘oy vey’ as she silently distributed tissues to all those in her immediate vicinity. She may not be there again, so do stock up on said tissues in advance.
THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH at Southwark Playhouse Borough
Reviewed on 25th November 2024
by Violet Howson
Photography by Daniel Rader
Previously reviewed at this venue:
[TITLE OF SHOW] | ★★★ | November 2024
THE UNGODLY | ★★★ | October 2024
FOREVERLAND | ★★★★ | October 2024
JULIUS CAESAR | ★★★ | September 2024
DORIAN: THE MUSICAL | ★★½ | July 2024
THE BLEEDING TREE | ★★★★ | June 2024
FUN AT THE BEACH ROMP-BOMP-A-LOMP!! | ★★★ | May 2024
MAY 35th | ★★★½ | May 2024
SAPPHO | ★★ | May 2024
CAPTAIN AMAZING | ★★★★★ | May 2024
WHY I STUCK A FLARE UP MY ARSE FOR ENGLAND | ★★★★★ | April 2024
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE VALLEY OF FEAR | ★★½ | March 2024
THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH
THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH
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