Jack Studio Theatre – until 14 January 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Inspired by Wolfgang Borchert’s short story Das Brot, Alan Booty fleshes out the characters of Hermann and Martha in this charming play, giving a greater understanding of Martha’s compassion when she discovers her husband’s dishonesty.
Set in Hamburg in 1948, when food and electricity were rationed tightly, a sneaky night-time snack causes problems. Martha (Joanna Karlsson) wakes up alone in the early hours of the morning, hears a noise in the kitchen and discovers her husband Hermann (Alan Booty) standing over a loaf of bread. Seeing her half awake and confused, Hermann jumps on her statement that she heard a noise, and doubles down on this lie with decreasing enthusiasm as they sit with the elephant in the room between them on the breadboard. Whether Hermann is oblivious to the fact that Martha knows the truth that he has taken a slice and keeps giving him opportunities to come clean, or whether he is too ashamed to admit his betrayal and determines to bluster on regardless is unclear, but Hermann’s act of selfishness and his attempts to distract his wife, and Martha’s disappointment and pity are written sympathetically by Booty. Booty also directs, keeping what is essentially a conversation over a kitchen table engaging with gentle and natural movement around the stage.
Booty’s knowledge and research of Hamburg shines through, and there are historical titbits scattered throughout the script. With younger characters, this could get a little stilted, but with a couple who had grown up together and been married for 39 years, this sort of meandering reminiscing is completely recognisable to anybody with aging parents or grandparents. The hardship and uncertainties of post-war Germany fade away as they talk about their parents and childhood gang – always coming back to the guilt they feel at standing by and letting things happen in their youth as they also question their lack of action as adults and continue to try to come to terms with the rise and impact of the Nazis. Martha’s worries about her mother in Berlin and the snippets of information about the terrible conditions in the Russian zone add the tension of survivor’s guilt, gnawing away at Martha in the small hours.
Joanna Karlsson is wonderful as Martha – deceptively frail and gentle, but ultimately showing where the true power in the relationship sits. Alan Booty has the showier role making the most of the comedic sections where Hermann tries to distract/bribe Martha, but also capturing the guilt, shame and overriding love for his wife.
The Loaf is a gentle but absorbing play portraying enduring love in the aftermath of war humanely and compassionately. Well worth a look on future runs