What we talk about when we talk about Anne Frank – Marylebone Theatre

Two Jewish couples: one secular, the other orthodox. The first, Phil and Debbie, live in their lavish house in Florida along with their son Trevor (who, by the way, is a Pastafarian and worships the Flying Spaghetti Monster). The second, Shoshana and Yerucham, live in Israel, have a large family, and seem to live by every rule in the book.

When such contrasting characters meet, there are bound to be sparks.

The play is based on a 2011 short story by Nathan Englander, which he adapted for the stage incorporating the most recent developments in the Middle East. In the hands of director Patrick Marber, it grows into a magnificent creature crackling with electricity.

Each character is deeply layered, and the tones are brought out beautifully through the course of the play. Debbie, played by Caroline Catz, lives in fear of another holocaust. She holds the past horrors in something akin to awe and is deeply affected by stories from the time. It is what she expects from Yerucham (played by Simon Yadoo) too, more so because he is the son of a survivor. But Yerucham believes in focusing on the future; he has moved on. Shoshana (Dorothea Myer-Bennett) and Yerucham think as one. Well, almost. Phil (Joshua Malina) is the wild one. He jokes about building a holocaust-themed amusement park, he finds the cracks in the stories, he will not shy away from bringing up politics.

Representing the angst of the younger generation is Trevor (played with great comic timing by Gabriel Howell). He brings to the table the fear about a dying planet, and the world’s tendency to quibble over religion while there are larger issues to tackle.

Over vodka, and eventually weed, the four older ones discuss their past and present lives, parenting, marriage, politics. There are arguments, accusations, and eventually there is the Anne Frank game. Who would you trust in to save your life in the event of a second holocaust? A game that will bring up distrust and grievances, and “can only end in tears”.

One thing this play is not, is shy. Be it wild jokes about the holocaust, or calling the war in Gaza a genocide, it does not pull punches. It pits the values of religion against policies of the State. It persuades you to talk about the present and not the past, or what-ifs. It has the important conversations that should be happening at the highest levels of global politics.

The plot occasionally feels stretched thin with one too many issues of the day crowding in. But despite the weight of the topics of discussion, it stays light with jokes woven in like circuit breakers. Among the cast, Myer-Bennett stood out in her nuanced portrayal of Shoshanna, with her playfulness, anger, and hidden sorrows.

Reviewer: Savitha Venugopal

Reviewed: 14th October 2024

North West End UK Rating: