The Man in the Attic: a theatre review by Hila Tsor
Emotive and powerful, written by Timothy Daly, directed by Moria Blumenthal and produced by Shalom and Moria Blumenthal Productions, The Man in the Attic presents a deep piece to the Sydney audience.
Hila Tsor
Set at the nearing end of the war in Nazi Germany, in a climate of a struggle to survival, the audience is left to contemplate a side of a story that is usually not considered. The universal archetype characters of the submissive wife, the greed fuelled husband, and the nosy neighbour depict their poverty and experience of the war through the Brechtian breaking of the fourth wall, along with their immoral decisions, actions and deception.
The play explores the raw human condition – but it is also humanity destroying. Revealing the sinister nature and capabilities of those motivated by greed, the play loosely follows the true story of a Jew who is given refuge by a German couple. Seemingly part of the righteous among the nations at first, the rescue turns into a kidnapping obscured in lies for self-profit.
Blumenthal Photography
The play beautifully looks at freedom and notions of hope through Daniel’s diary soliloquy, and is emotionally engaging. Watching the play made me incredibly restless, longing for Daniel’s physical freedom to come.
The actors executed their roles amazingly – it is difficult to play unlikable characters who do awful things, and Gus Murray was a particular stand-out in his abilities, and Danielle King made a particularly complex character come to life on stage.
The stage set echoed the tone of the play with various scattered objects and furniture, all dark and in disarray, echoing the German war experience.
A short piece, yet the impact is long-lasting.
The Australian Premiere production of Timothy Daly’s ‘The Man In The Attic’
The Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst Sydney until Sunday 22nd July, 2018.
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