A drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat and not just because there are Nazis invited to dinner
French playwright Jean-Philippe Daguerre’s multi-award-winning World War II drama has it all: tension, laughter and an unexpected central dilemma. Now, for the first time in London, the English language version by Jeremy Sams is playing at Park Theatre.
The setting is Paris, 1942. Joseph Haffmann is a successful Jewish jeweller with his own shop, but since the Nazis occupied Paris, his very existence has been threatened. He's managed to get his wife and four children to safety in Switzerland, but for the sake of his livelihood, he's made the dangerous decision to stay in Paris. Desperate to stay off the occupiers’ radar, he cedes the business over to his gentile apprentice Pierre Vigneau, whilst he takes refuge in the cellar beneath the shop.
Alex Waldmann's nuanced Joseph suggests that Pierre (played by the excellent Michael Fox) move into the apartment above the jewellers with his wife Isabelle and provide for Joseph in hiding, while continuing his work. There is a moral dimension to Joseph’s dilemma, for the popularity of his jewellery with the Nazis is currently largely responsible for the shop’s success. Moreover, he could not have foreseen the extraordinary additional condition that Pierre requests in return. He and Isabelle have desperately been trying for a child, he reveals, and the lack of results seem to fall to Pierre's infertility. He betrays his low self-esteem by declaring, almost jokily: "Half a man, so half a marriage."
After initial objections from both Joseph and Isabelle, the deal is sealed. Of course, they can attempt conception only once a month, but neither could have predicted that years would go by without either success or an end to the Occupation.
Designer Rebecca Brower’s set is artfully designed to make the most of Park Theatre’s intimate thrust stage. It’s easy to see the Vigneaus at their own home on one side and Joseph’s spacious study with it’s wide window, telescoping into his cramped hiding place centre stage, thanks also to Christopher Nairne’s artfully selective lighting.
There’s an ardent tenderness about the Vigneaus’ relationship, as they they dance together to French chansons in ‘their’ space. Once moved, Jennifer Kirby’s self-composed Isabelle copes stoically with becoming cook and housekeeper to Joseph in return for his ‘services’. However, relationships are strained by Pierre’s understandable jealousy, magnified by each passing year. Instead of dancing with Isabelle, he learns to tap dance, practising obsessively to drown out the sounds of her having sex with Joseph.
Farewell Mister Haffmann provides a unique take on the Holocaust, one that focuses more on family than the terrors, though there are some chilling moments involving highly influential members of the Nazi party dominating the action in the latter half. Vividly played by Nigel Harman and Jemima Rooper, they provide a dangerous cocktail of laughs and gasps. And the drama doesn't let up. A combination of Daguerre’s unexpected plot twists and the vivid interplay of a five-strong cast directed by Oscar Toeman, make for 90 minutes of suspense, shock and irresistible laughter. No wonder it's one fo the longest-running plays in France and has four Molière Awards under its belt. This is a play that deserves to be seen the world over.
By Judi Herman
Photos by Mark Senior
Farewell Mister Haffmann runs until Saturday 12 April. 7.30pm (Mon-Sat), 3pm (Thu & Sat only). From £35.50. Park Theatre, N4 3JP. parktheatre.co.uk
Read our interview with Alex Waldmann.