Tag Archives: Jonathan Evans

FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN

★★★★

Park Theatre

FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN

Park Theatre

★★★★

“Tension and relief are hallmarks of this production as director Oscar Toeman steers us through the shifting moods with slick clarity”

There is a recurring line in Jean-Phillipe Daguerre’s play, “Farewell Mister Haffmann”, that is reprised by nearly all the characters at some point. ‘Courage is stronger than fear’. The quotation could have come from the hand of Mark Twain, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela. In some paraphrased version it has probably been cited by many of our respected world leaders and philosophers. It carries the danger of becoming a glib, self-help-manual style platitude, but in the context of this play (translated by Jeremy Sams) it is a crucial motif. Sometimes delivered comically, but more often with poignancy; it exemplifies the fearless way in which Daguerre tackles his subject matter – turning a global narrative into an intimate, human story that is funny – almost farcical. But don’t be complacent. It can suddenly turn on you with the unpredictability of a dangerous dog.

Inspired by Daguerre’s great-grandparents who hid Polish Jews from the Nazis, it is set in Paris over two years from May 1942. Joseph Haffmann (Alex Waldmann), having sent his wife and children to Geneva, decides to hand over his jewellery shop to his loyal, hardworking, non-Jewish assistant, Pierre Vigneau (Michael Fox). It comes with a condition, however. Pierre and his wife Isabelle (Jennifer Kirby) must agree to move into Joseph’s house and hide him in the cellar until normality is resumed. A further twist has Pierre lay down his own condition. His marriage is childless. Unable to get his wife pregnant, he asks Joseph to do the honours as his side of the bargain.

It is all very matter of fact. The scenes flash by in a series of short bursts. Patently, Isabelle is initially reluctant of the proposition made by her husband on her behalf. Less obviously, Pierre is modestly reticent to take over the business. The conversations are awkward and wrought with moral dilemmas. The decisions are made during the semi-dark scene transitions, so we see the causes and the consequences. Kirby is marvellous as Isabelle, presenting the fragile façade that all is well, but letting us know that it will shatter at any moment. Fox’s Pierre, nervous yet jovial at first, slips into angst and jealousy. Whilst his wife does the ‘deed’ with Haffmann, he goes out tap dancing; a routine that he uses to distract himself from what’s going on in the cellar. As the months go by, the dance steps acquire more and more freneticism. All three performances remarkably show the unravelling nature of each personality as the stakes are raised.

It is a jagged little piece. Not every issue is followed through successfully, but the character arcs are well formed. This feels very much like a three hander. Until art-loving, Nazi ambassador Otto Abetz (Nigel Harman) arrives at the eleventh hour. His presence has already been felt and has been a major source of contention between the others so far. Everything changes when Otto arrives for dinner, along with his loose-tongued wife, Suzanne (Jemima Rooper). A dinner served with huge side orders of tension, broken only by Suzanne’s coarse and tactless interjections. Rooper is a sheer delight with her precise comic timing and delivery. Harman, however, keeps her in check with a performance that chills. We teeter between wanting to laugh or letting our jaws drop to the floor in shock. The stillness of Harman’s portrayal conceals a simmering and dangerous mind.

The shift in tone works remarkably well as we are caught as much off guard as the characters within the play. Tension and relief are hallmarks of this production as director Oscar Toeman steers us through the shifting moods with slick clarity; while Asaf Zohar’s sound and Christopher Nairne’s lighting slice the action into glorious bit-sized vignettes. It is a unique portrayal of a much-explored piece of history, made all the more pertinent and unsettling by its light-hearted intimacy. A hasty epilogue slightly dampens the overall effect, but is arguably necessary to cement where Daguerre’s – and our – sympathies lie. We can only imagine the choices people had to make at such a perilous time in history. “Farewell Mister Haffmann” fires our imaginations brilliantly and powerfully. Refreshingly short and sharp but full of savage twists, it is shockingly funny.

 



FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN

Park Theatre

Reviewed on 10th March 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior


Previously reviewed at this venue:

ONE DAY WHEN WE WERE YOUNG | ★★★ | March 2025
ANTIGONE | ★★★★★ | February 2025
CYRANO | ★★★ | December 2024
BETTE & JOAN | ★★★★ | December 2024
GOING FOR GOLD | ★★★★ | November 2024
THE FORSYTE SAGA | ★★★★★ | October 2024
AUTUMN | ★★½ | October 2024
23.5 HOURS | ★★★ | September 2024
BITTER LEMONS | ★★★½ | August 2024
WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU | ★★★★★ | August 2024

 

 

FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN

FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN

FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN

WHITE ROSE

★★

Marylebone Theatre

WHITE ROSE

Marylebone Theatre

★★

“the prophesy of doom should be more inherent in the performances rather than the dressing”

There is no denying that “White Rose: The Musical” comes to the stage with a pertinency that it may not have held when it first premiered Off-Broadway a year ago. Its powerful premise is built around a group of young activists defying an authoritarian regime – one in which rights are stolen, one by one, under a state system presided over by criminals. The setting is, however, Munich in 1943 and the musical focuses on a group of students who stood up to Hitler. They put their lives on the line as they formed the White Rose resistance movement to challenge oppression and propaganda, distributing leaflets at immense risk to themselves. There are echoes of Hans Fallada’s 1947 novel ‘Every Man Dies Alone’ (adapted into the 2016 feature film ‘Alone in Berlin’), and the complexity of the real-life narrative offers a goldmine of raw material. Brian Belding’s book chips away at the surface without really getting its hands dirty; the result being a show that lacks depth, peopled by similarly shallow characters.

At its heart are siblings Hans (Tobias Turley) and Sophie (Collette Guitart) Scholl. Hans is the overprotective brother, ashamed of his former allegiance to the Hitler Youth. Sophie spends much time resisting her brother’s safeguarding nature – until she eventually persuades him to accept and join in with her cause. The dialogue treats the whole affair like a high school romp, and we never get a sense of danger, despite shadowed, moody SS officers occasionally watching over them. A side plots involves Lila (Charley Robbie) who runs a print shop and helps with the printing of the leaflets. A young Nazi officer, Frederick Fischer (Ollie Wray) spends a lot of time with the oppositionists. Being an old schoolmate of Hans and ex-lover of Sophie’s, he also spends much time in a state of confusion, repeatedly removing and replacing his swastika armband. Such meandering motives are indicative of Belding’s book and lyrics and Natalie Brice’s music. The score belongs to another show entirely. Led by an even mix of guitar chugging, mid-tempo pop and searing ballads, it is jarringly detached from the setting and from the themes of the story. Following each number there is a palpable dip in energy, during which the dialogue never matches the passion of the singing.

Director Will Nunziata fares as well as he can with the stuttering structure of the narrative but suffers from a lack of variation in character. There is little build up to the symbolic and climactic gesture of hurling leaflets out into the audience: an act of defiance that mirrors the real life-threatening events (Hans and Sophie flung them from the balcony onto their fellow students). The horrific events the show presents are ill-served by simplistic exposition that dampens the emotional clout. The performances are solid but miss the trick of reaction. Often – particularly during the solo musical numbers – the onstage cast seem to be assessing an audition piece at the end of a long day.

Despite an overall lack of presence, we are occasionally drawn into the characters’ plight. But the hook is not strong enough for us to make the plunge. There are moments when the depth and the gravity is glimpsed, and Justin Williams’ evocative design sets the tone, depicting a ravaged Munich, along with Alex Musgrave’s suggestive lighting. But the prophesy of doom should be more inherent in the performances rather than the dressing. This story should definitely be told – it is not just a poignant reminder of the past, but an urgent alarm call that the past has a habit of repeating itself. Unlike its protagonists – the show seems unsure whether to deliver its message. Or whether to be entertainment. The two can (and do) easily co-exist, but “White Rose: The Musical” doesn’t find that harmony.



WHITE ROSE

Marylebone Theatre

Reviewed on 4th March 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner

 

 


 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK | ★★★★ | October 2024
THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR | ★★★★ | May 2024
THE DREAM OF A RIDICULOUS MAN | ★★★★ | March 2024
A SHERLOCK CAROL | ★★★★ | November 2023
THE DRY HOUSE | ★★½ | April 2023

 

 

WHITE ROSE

WHITE ROSE

WHITE ROSE