THE BANALITY OF EVIL: HANNAH ARENDT, FRANCE, 1940

Arcola Theatre

★★★★

“beautiful physical moments and thought-provoking themes”

Performed by an ensemble of six women, The Banality of Evil is an ambitious production exploring a lesser-known chapter of Second World War history. Through a series of fast-paced scenes, writer and director Julia Pascal brings together the lives of three German Jewish women: philosopher Hannah Arendt, pioneering artist Charlotte Salomon and teenage Communist Eva Daube, who are arrested in France and interned at Camp Gurs in 1940.

The scenes move quickly between the women’s lives, relationships and political beliefs as they face the uncertainty of imprisonment. With German forces advancing, they must decide whether to stay and hope for liberation or risk escaping into an unknown future. Beyond their individual stories, the play explores exile, belonging and the fragile promise of safety when the very state that offered refuge becomes a source of persecution.

There is something particularly striking about the contradiction at the heart of this story. The women are labelled “undesirable” and reduced to categories by a system that fails to recognise their individuality. The play raises questions about how bureaucracy can normalise exclusion. These themes feel uncomfortably relevant today, when people fleeing persecution continue to face hostility and uncertainty.

The performances are strong throughout. Mai Weisz brings a bold, lively intelligence to Hannah Arendt, while Anja Fahlenkamp also makes a memorable impression. The six women work together to create a range of characters and situations, shifting between moments of tension, conflict and unexpected humour.

The text is ambitious, drawing on history, philosophy and personal relationships, and there is a lot to take in. Although the scenes move at a good pace and the play never feels boring, I sometimes wished they had lasted longer. Some of the conflicts are particularly interesting, and I would have liked more time to sit with them and see the characters’ relationships develop further. Certain moments feel as though they have the potential to go deeper, emotionally and dramatically, before the action moves on.

Where the production really shines is in its theatrical language. The physical theatre and use of props create simple yet captivating images, with some genuinely beautiful moments of movement. The music and cabaret elements are woven into the action, bringing shifts in tone and moments of playfulness to an otherwise dark story. Carmen Neat’s set and Lesley Lightfoot’s costume design help establish the period and contribute to the production’s distinctive visual language.

Moments of German philosophy illuminate Arendt’s complicated relationship with Martin Heidegger, adding another layer to the play’s exploration of intellectual thought, personal choices and political responsibility.

Ultimately, The Banality of Evil gives space to women’s stories that risk being forgotten. It is an ambitious piece of political theatre, combining historical research with music, movement and compelling performances. While I would have welcomed more time to explore some of its richest conflicts in depth, its beautiful physical moments and thought-provoking themes make it a production worth seeing.

THE BANALITY OF EVIL: HANNAH ARENDT, FRANCE, 1940

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on 12th October 2026

by Nasia Ntalla

Photography by Alex Brenner

THE BANALITY OF EVIL REVIEW

THE BANALITY OF EVIL

★★★

“a thoughtful meditation on our relationship with the Earth”

Fire Fire, written by John Webber and directed by Jennifer Tang, brings together two people who could not initially seem more different. Eddie is holding a memorial for his brother, intending to scatter his ashes, while Paige is closing a road as part of a climate protest. Their first encounter is fiery, and although they repeatedly clash, their paths continue to cross until an unexpected bond begins to form.

The production has a striking simplicity to it, with Peiyao Wang’s set and costume design creating an evocative landscape of soil and steps, complemented by Charly Dunford’s shifting lighting design. The two-hander is punctuated by moments of self-reflection, allowing both characters to share something of their inner worlds. At its heart is an intriguing concept: a meeting between grief and activism, personal loss and collective responsibility, and two people whose different experiences of the world gradually reveal unexpected points of connection. There is also a strong reflection on different points of view, and on how our sense of identity, purpose and connection to ourselves can differ, while underneath it all we may be far more similar than we realise.

There is a lot of potential in this premise, particularly in the way it brings together questions of class, climate, grief and personal responsibility. However, the play sometimes gets caught in a succession of events that leaves little room for the audience to pause and reflect. The stakes are high almost from the beginning, and as they continue to escalate, there are few opportunities to simply sit with the characters or allow their relationship to develop at a quieter pace. The result can feel emotionally tiring rather than increasingly affecting.

Some of the strongest moments are also the simplest. There are flashes of comedy rooted in recognisable human behaviour, and these moments bring a welcome sense of reality to the conversations. More of this grounded, everyday quality could have made the exchanges feel more natural. At times, the dialogue feels closer to a book being read aloud than two people genuinely talking to each other, with the dramatic weight of each new event sometimes taking precedence over the intimacy of the relationship.

The performances, however, are committed and generous. Gabrielle Brooks and Chris Simmons give the production everything, navigating its emotional and physical demands with energy. The moment involving Eddie’s brother’s ashes is particularly beautiful and deeply affecting, creating a rare stillness in a play that otherwise moves relentlessly forward.

Fire Fire offers a thoughtful meditation on our relationship with the Earth, the climate crisis and the direction in which the world is heading. Its central idea of finding common ground between people who appear to occupy opposing sides is timely and full of possibility. With more space to breathe, reflect and allow its characters to simply exist together, the play could perhaps have allowed some of its most powerful ideas to land more deeply.

Tag Archives: NASIA NTALLA

THE BANALITY OF EVIL: HANNAH ARENDT, FRANCE, 1940

★★★★

Arcola Theatre

THE BANALITY OF EVIL: HANNAH ARENDT, FRANCE, 1940

Arcola Theatre

★★★★

“beautiful physical moments and thought-provoking themes”