The Silence of the Sea

This was a bold choice for a play, set in Nazi France, and the production was thought provoking and certainly challenged the audience. There were just three characters, an elderly Frenchman and his niece who have had their house requisitioned by the Nazi’s and a young German soldier who is billeted with them during Nazi occupation. Powerless to turn him away, they resist him with silence – a silence that becomes their most powerful weapon. 

Three very different styles of acting required, narration from the Uncle, direct speech from the soldier and silence from the niece. This could have led to the play feeling disjointed, but with the director’s guidance and the skills of the cast, this was not the case, and the story was clear to follow and very moving. The director had clearly worked with the three actors to understand their characters and the relationships between them all and they had each developed strong characterisation which were believable and engaging. The set design was simple and fitting for the uncle’s house. I liked the symbolism of having three armchairs, but the German soldier never sitting which emphasised his separation from the French family.

I was very interested to read that Progress Theatre had taken the play to France for its first performance in a French Chateau. This must have taken some organising, but what an experience for both the cast and crew!

Thank you once again for making me feel so welcome and congratulations to the cast and production team for bringing this interesting piece of drama to the Progress stage.

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