Kindertransport

“Kindertransport” was a programme introduced by the British Government in 1938 to offer safe passage to the UK for Jewish children (and only children) so that they could escape the increasing violence towards Jews in Germany and Austria. Diane Samuels’ thoughtful play looks at the effects this had on the children and their parents and asks whether it was any better than the unmitigated horror of the Nazi death camps.

Director Ben Gander has ingeniously divided the performance area (on the floor of the hall) into two simple and flexible, mirror image sets with an eighty year divide between them, allowing the action to switch seamlessly from one time period to the other. Lighting was simple but most effective, highlighting the area in play, and costumes too really evoked the atmosphere of each time period. Good use was made of striking photographs from the war projected on a screen behind the set, and video sequences featuring the cast filmed on a local preserved railway, adding greatly to the atmosphere. Sound was spot on, with some amplification for the younger cast members, ensuring every word could be heard.

Lion and Unicorn are fortunate to have such talented young actors to call upon for the key roles in this play. Darcy Gander excelled as the young Eva. She was so natural throughout and managed to switch between accents with ease. Her speeches in German were spoken with unhesitating fluency. Although she seemed to settle into English life well, Eva’s constant searches for her parents, who were supposed to be joining her, were heart-breaking. Freya Gander was also most convincing as Eva’s slightly older self and Sian Slaney as Faith (who we gradually discover is Eva’s daughter) made the perfect argumentative teenager, alarmed but also excited to discover her mother’s hitherto hidden past.

Kat Wootton handled the role of Helga, Eva’s mother, with a light touch, teaching her to be self-sufficient before they separated and unable to understand why Eva did not want to join her in America after the war. Great credit should go to Eileen Riddiford as foster mother Lil, who linked the two time zones together as she slipped effortlessly across the divide and subtly changed character in the process. You could really feel the anguish and confusion portrayed by Laura Sheppard as Evelyn (the adult Eva) because she felt she’d had part of her past taken away from her.

This was a most thought-provoking and emotional play that can’t have left any of the audience untouched by the end. Thank you Lion and Unicorn for always tackling such interesting and unusual subjects with talent and care.

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