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Brief awakenings: White Rose The Musical @MaryleboneTHLDN

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A fascinating and daring act of defiance in Nazi Germany by a group of university students in Munich is given a slightly perplexing rock musical treatment in White Rose, the musical. Something seems amiss in this earnest and occasionally tuneful show. It lags more than it inspires, which is surprising given the tragic and compelling history of the real-life characters the show depicts. Given that young people are increasingly likely to vote for far-right parties across Europe, it’s an opportunity to look at a time when they had a different perspective on the future. Perhaps something has been lost in the translation or the larger space of the Marylebone Theatre where it plays.  The White Rose were a group of university students in Munich who sought to undermine the Third Reich through publication of a series of pamphlets urging passive resistance to the Nazi regime. Over a brief period between June 1942 and February 1943, they distributed their pamphlets across campus using ...

Theatre: The Mercy Seat

The Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute is hard hitting and controversial. Originally staged in 2002, it no doubt caused a stir when first staged a dark and cynical look at human emotions against the backdrop of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Ten years on, time gives it a different perspective. It feels less shocking and the more understandable. Perhaps it helps having lived in London through a summer of mindless random criminal acts... Riots, police corruption, general economic malaise... Life can seem a lot like how LaBute describes it: random and opportunistic. And given the right set of circumstances anyone can do anything.

Against this backdrop is Ben and Abby (played by Sean O'Neil and Janine Ingrid Ulfane). She is his boss and he is married. Both should have been at the Twin Towers but a morning dalliance meant that instead they were at her flat. And now against the tragedy there is a potential opportunity.

To give too much away would spoil the play, but watching the chemistry between the two actors as they alternate between sparring and embracing each other is fascinating and brutally believable. It is a roller coaster ride and after a slow build up things move quickly throughout the one hour forty minutes at the theatre. The intimacy of the Pleasance theatre makes watching the proceedings at times almost voyeuristic and unbearable. But like all good drama you can't resist watching. It runs until 16 September.

Immediate impressions from the Audioboo below (with thanks to Webcowgirl)
Theatre: The Mercy Seat at Pleasance Islington (mp3)

A chance to also reflect upon the fact that ten years ago there was not much social media. Sure there were blogs, but with no wifi, no tweets no audioboos... How did we live our lives?

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