Southwark Playhouse – until 8 February 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Examining one of the key events that led to the UK and France declaring war on Germany through the eyes of the unwitting victims is an intriguing concept, but Erik Kahn’s play needs a more balanced approach to truly satisfy.
The false flag attacks along the Polish-German border staged by German forces as acts of aggression by Poles were meant to justify Hitler’s invasion in the eyes of the world and not draw the UK and France into war. So, that went well.
SS Major Naujocks testimony at the Nuremberg trials provided details of the operation, and Kahn has the major relating the events, and aftermath, to the audience – an unreliable host borrowing hugely from Cabaret’s emcee, but without the singing. As the audience enters, the major (Dan Parr) sits and smokes, before strolling around the stage, smiling amiably, but then scanning a row with a laser glare as if he has spotted someone suspicious. This sets the tone for the character throughout the play: a jovial but stilted politeness that can switch instantly to disgust and bitter violence. The fantastic Dan Parr is chilling and charming in equal measure in the role.
Honiok (Tom Wells), a German farmer has been arrested and imprisoned, and his cell mates are prisoners from Dachau – a Jewish scholar, Birnbaum (Charlie Archer) and a thief called Kruger (Rowan Polonski) – the “canned goods” of the title. In their brief time together, the three men try to figure out why they are there, and what the future will hold. As the lessons of history appear increasingly to have been forgotten, the conversations of the men and their reactions are representative of the different attitudes when faced with fascism and the brutality of the state.
Birbaum is an intellectual, and a Jew, so Kruger – an uneducated janitor – harbours deep-seated hatred for him as he has been taught that Jews are the reason his life is so hard, and the Reich will make Germany great again. Honiok is a loner, devoutly Catholic, but dispensable – perfect cannon fodder. As they dissect whispers and hints that they have overheard from the guards, Honiok and Birbaum trade theological quotes and Kruger desperately tries to convince himself that he will serve the Reich and be rewarded. Meanwhile Major Naujocks and the thuggish guard (Joe Mallalieu) toy with them like cats – keeping them just calm enough to be easily managed for their mission.
Mona Camille’s runway set is adaptable and evocative, while Ryan Joseph’s lighting creates an ominous atmosphere. Director Charlotte Cohn builds the air of foreboding effectively and the prisoners’ monologues, where they reveal their thoughts to the audience do not distract from the plot, instead upping the stakes as these characters become more than mere pawns and their humanity shines through. Wells, Archer and Polonski have wonderful chemistry and are fantastic as the three prisoners – each giving emotive and compelling performances. The scenes in the cells are the most effective part of the play as, unfortunately, it all begins to lose coherence as the mission is conducted. There is an obvious end point, but Kahn continues the story with Naujocks breaking the fourth wall and joining the audience as the play’s message of the dangers of propaganda, populism and prejudices are hammered home as if this was a closing argument in a trial. Trust the audience a little more. This is all very clunky, despite Barr’s thrilling performance, and ultimately detracts from the engaging character studies in earlier scenes.
An interesting premise with stunning performances, but an uneven and heavy-handed epilogue needs tweaking to create a truly memorable and affecting production.
