Humour is at its most poignant against a background of human tragedy. This play draws on this tried and tested recipe in its structural concept, which is based around a classic comic duo pairing, but set in a concentration camp. With strong narrative, inevitably the show hits harder and digs deeper, but not as deep as it could.Homosexuals and Jews - two groups who suffer from persecution under the Nazis are represented by the personas of Hans and Benjamin, who find themselves working side by side in a watchmakers workshop in a concentration camp. Slowly, they develop a friendship which ends up being severely tested at the end. How they cope well, youll have to see for yourselves.Obvious and unsubtle puns about time at the beginning of the play develop quickly into meatier explorations of themes such as trust and intimacy as it evolves. The theatrical space is invaded by the real fear of the threatened death of the two characters, or Benjamins even greater fear he might survive to find his family killed. Ever-present, also, however, is the hope of living, if only to find loved ones still alive. Hope of life and fear of death lend the text a heightened sense of reality which is underscored by references textual, aural and live to opera, a heightened art form in its own right, a common interest which helps build a bridge across the river of prejudice which separates the two prisoners.The operatic element is where the play was at its weakest, although the deliberately weak live performance was the strongest of these weak points, and the vulnerability the actors brought to their renditions of Verdi was very poignant. Verdi is pitted against Puccini Don Carlos against La Bohème and a mini war breaks out against the backdrop of the larger battle being fought beyond the camp. The excerpt chosen from Don Carlos worked relatively well, but set up an expectation of self-sacrifice for anyone familiar with the opera. By contrast, Recondita armonia, the tenor aria from Tosca comparing the relative merits of two different types of women was chosen to feature towards the end of the piece. If the subtext was to highlight the relative beauty of the two oppressed parties, then the choice seemed rather forced. Per me giunto from Don Carlos, the baritone aria on a theme of self-sacrifice would have seemed a more logical one to go for when the chips were down, with the writer then providing a twist in the plot. Or if the Puccini card had to be played, Ha piu forte sapore, Scarpias aria from Tosca, in which the tyrant argues that conquest is preferable to romance, or Chella mi creda libero, Johnsons aria from La Fanciulla del West, which he sings as he prepares to die, praying that his loved one doesnt find out all could have been found a place. I couldnt figure out the reasons behind the choice, and whether the recordings used were strictly period, I cant say. I suspect not. The play successfully addresses the point in words that prejudice is more ingrained than one might think and it continues to rear its ugly head. Unfortunately, it failed to do so in music, at least in the opinion of this reviewer.
