Camden New Journal - Theatre: Kindertransport

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The Review - THEATRE by TOM FOOT
Published: 3 May 2007

A human triumph

KINDERTRANSPORT
Hampstead theatre

KINDERTRANSPORT, about a nine year old girl who escapes Nazi Germany on a train bound for England, was first performed in the Soho Theatre in 1993.
Eva leaves behind her parents, finding sanctuary with her new mother in Manchester. She forges a new life banishing her memories and recreating herself as Evelyn.
Her desperate clinging to her mother mixed with the desire to start afresh runs parallel with Faith, who, in the 21st century, is preparing to leave behind her mother and middle class home.
It soon becomes clear that Diane Samuel’s script is crafted not simply as a painful reminder of the living legacy of the Holocaust. It is a psychological probe into a mother’s loss and the degrees of separation.
The two stories, performed in tandem on stage, become intertwined when Faith discovers in a dusty attic the secrets of her mother’s true identity.
The older Evelyn (Marion Bailey) suffers a near mental breakdown. With her unspeakable memories brought crashing back into the present she locks herself in her attic and experiences a horrific self-imposed catharsis. Her tortured screams were not over-egged – I have never seen someone breakdown on stage to such effect.
In and about the scenes a ghoulish rat-catcher stalks the stage. He represents a loss of innocence, constantly groping and reaching out towards the young girl. Long finger-nailed and pale as a ghost he is personifies every mothers’ fear of the evils of the big wide world. Each time the young Eva strays from safety the rat catcher is lurking in the shadows ready and willing to take her away.
Matti Houghton was tremendous throughout as Eva. It was one of the best performances I have seen in a long time and Faith’s recreation of the mix of teenage boldness and folly had that exact quality rarely seen. Polly Teale’s direction uses the space and distance well on Jonathan Fensom’s well-designed but crowded stage.
I must admit I approached the evening with some trepidation. I have seen many plays about the Holocaust, most of them in Hampstead, and they rarely leave you with much confidence in humanity. But the great genius of this production is that it does not rely on trauma to triumph. The unspoken horrors are left unspoken. It was appropriately laced with laughs.
It’s hard to enjoy a play about the Holocaust, but like sunny rain, this is worth seeing.
Until May 26
020 7722 9301

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