Discovering secrets of the past
Kindertransport is the latest production at the Chesil Theatre in
Winchester and it tells a story of how the past can haunt us.
Evelyn, living in Manchester, suppresses her Jewish identity. She was one of
those children brought over to Britain in the months before the war started and
had to be separated from her parents.
Millions of Jewish people were taken to death camps and their children never saw
them again. Evelyn is happy to become English: “I love everything about this
country, the sense of humour, even the food…’ she exults.
But Evelyn’s teenage daughter, Faith, about to go off to college, finds
mementoes from the past in the attic and books written in German. She confronts
her mother about them and there is an almighty row about hiding the past. Faith
wants to know who she is. She starts to learn about Jewish tradition and
culture.
This is a brilliant play about loss, memory and the terrible separation of
children from parents because of Hitler’s hatred of the Jews. It’s about one
young girl waiting for her mother to come across from Germany as she said she
would on September 9th 1939. Eva goes to the station every day but her mother
never comes.
It was a brilliant production at the Chesil with fine performances all round.
Mimi Gilles, the young Eva, was outstandingly good as the bewildered child
growing up in Nazi Germany. Mary Stone was also very persuasive, helped by her
1930s hairdo and frocks as Eva’s mother, Helga. Corinne Strickett, Jo Russel and
Sarah Hawkins also excelled in this fine cast.
Malcolm Brown directed with great assurance, as well as taking care of sound
design, publicity – even his programme design was worth admiring.
Duncan Wilson did yet another excellent set design and Heather Bryant
contributed atmospheric music.
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