Kenneth Tigar honours the strength, determination and legacy of Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku, a man who repeatedly stared death in the face and laughed
Eddie Jaku was born in Leipzig, Germany, in April 1920 and lived to see humanity at its most evil. He was imprisoned in four concentration camps, survived two death marches and lost both his parents to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Jaku documented the horrors he endured in his best-selling memoir, The Happiest Man on Earth, which was published in 2020 when he was 100 years old.
Playwright Mark St Germain brings this story to an intimate London stage, following its world premiere last year in Massachusetts, his home state. The dingy auditorium is the perfect setting for fellow Massachusetts man, theatre and film veteran Kenneth Tigar (The Man in the High Castle, Lethal Weapon, Dallas) to relay the harrowing account of Jaku’s experiences, under the expert direction of Ron Lagomarsino.
James Noone’s bare set, with just a wooden chair, table and bench, is all that’s needed for Tigar to command the floor in this one-man play. He subtly enters and begins conversing with viewers, shaking hands with his "new friends" and engaging in upbeat, one-on-one conversations. His breaking of the fourth wall invokes a feeling of mutual respect between Jaku and the audience, thus drawing us in immediately. His upbeat disposition echoes his vow to smile every day in gratitude for life, and to live it to the fullest for those who are no longer able to. This is the story of a man who was reduced to a number (172338) but, thanks to his education in mechanical engineering, was dubbed an ‘economically indispensable Jew’ by the Nazis – a title that narrowly saved him from death on numerous occasions.
With minimal sound and lighting effects to aid him, Tigar makes use of every inch of the space, experimenting with height throughout by standing on the chair or crawling under the table. A highly emotive Jaku describes his ordeals in explicit detail, discussing how, after many failed attempts, he managed to escape from a death march and hid in a forest, where he lived in a cave and survived on a diet of slugs, snails and contaminated water. He was discovered by American soldiers and taken to a doctor, who revealed that he'd contracted cholera and typhoid and the odds were against him. Ever the optimist, he replied: "Thank you God! I have odds!"
He eventually married, had children and emigrated to Australia, where he set up a successful business and volunteered at the Sydney Jewish Museum. He passed away in 2021 and was survived by his wife Flore (who died aged 98 the following year) and their two sons, Michael and Andre.
The concept of The Happiest Man on Earth is sublime. The heroic story is complimented by an actor who fully immerses himself in the role; the discernible giggles and heartfelt sobs from those watching is tribute to Tigar’s skill. The actor himself was born into a Jewish family and studied German literature at Harvard, so he had a deep-rooted understanding of the fragile history of the Jewish people to draw from.
This first-hand account of some of humanity’s darkest times continues to resonate widely today. With the number of survivors decreasing and Holocaust denial on the up, Tigar transforms the way that the legacies of both Jaku and the Holocaust can be remembered. The play not only reinforces the importance of faith, friendship and fortitude, but also pays beautiful tribute to the late Eddie Jaku – quite possibly the happiest man to have walked the earth.
By Dani Silver
Photography by Daniel Rader
The Happiest Man on Earth runs until Saturday 14 December. 8pm (Mon-Sat), 3.30pm (Tue & Sat only). £22 (£17.50 concs). Southwark Playhouse, SE1 6BD. southwarkplayhouse.co.uk