TheatreWorld Internet Magazine
Reviews by Julia Hickman
I Can Cry!
By Miri Ben-Shalom
Based on the personal journals of Ester Herschberg now playing at Pentameters Theatre until April 9 2006
It is doubtful whether there will be a more heart-breaking play on the London stage this year. This is the true story of a Holocaust survivor and in this intimate space in the heart of Hampstead, with three actors close-up, the audience is spared nothing, no whispers of reassurance, that perhaps it wasn't really that bad after all. It was that bad.
But Ester Herschberg's miraculous story of survival is also an inspiration to us all, as well as a painful reminder that we should count our blessings on a daily basis, no matter how boring or 'normal' we consider our little lives to be. We all have homes, food to eat - and no-one is forcing you to march for three days non-stop through the bitter snow, whilst you have typhoid and haven't eaten for two weeks.
The youngest of eight, Ester was the confident, cheerful 14-year-old daughter of a prosperous Krakow businessman, looking forward to starting high school the next day. But the Nazis invaded on that same day in 1939, and restriction followed violence in an ever increasing spiral until finally, the rest of her family having disappeared one by one, Ester herself was finally marched off to the first of many forced labour institutions.
Beautifully played by Emma Paterson as Erna, Ester's younger self; Jo McBrinn as the older Ester recalling her experiences; and Bodo Friesecke as the German Officer, the sense of terror and savagery is quite tangible. But Ester's great optimism and strength carries her through to the liberation of her concentration camp on the day of her 20th birthday.
Projected onto the back wall throughout, and lending a desperate realism, are horrifying photographic and film images of real events during those six years. The production, in its multi-faceted directness, along with the simple honesty of the eloquent script written by Ester's niece Miri Ben-Shalom, together expose the very best and worst of humanity.
Adding a considerable poignancy to the evening was the presence of Ester herself in the audience. This remarkable lady has dredged up her worst memories and nightmares in order to educate and remind us in our forgetful, busy, careless modern lifestyles, that these shocking events never ever be allowed to happen again.
PENTAMETERS THEATRE
28 Heath Street Hampstead London NW3 6TE
Box Office: 020 7435 3648