Conspiracy is Loring Mandel’s compelling portrayal of the Wannsee Conference in 1942. The Old Hamptonians Amateur Dramatic Society’s presentation of the play was superbly delivered, says Hattie Curl in this 4.5 star review.
Conspiracy is Loring Mandel’s original screenplay, adapted for the stage, which depicts the 1942 Wannsee Conference in Berlin where top Nazi officials determined the ‘Final Solution’ to the 'Jewish Question' during World War II. It successfully explores the psychology of these officials and analyses the evil that ordinary humans can perpetrate against those believed to be lesser humans than they. Members of OHADS exquisitely performed this impressive adaptation, and Fiona Smith certainly did the play justice with her fantastic directing choices.
Although the opening scene started off slowly, introducing each character and their rank, it was well worth the wait as the play quickly gained momentum. The 85 minutes are set in one meeting room, furnished with a large arc table adorned with carafes of wine and chairs. An extravagant chandelier hangs from the ceiling, further setting the scene. With such a fixed set, the staging could have easily been static or boring, but it worked well allowing for dynamic blocking across a successful performance as well as really helping to underscore a realistic portrayal of the industrial efficiency and detachment with which evil can be carried out by normal, rational people.
The compelling plot was masterfully portrayed and well delivered by all involved. The acting was of a superb standard, and Tom Nunan’s interpretation of Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart was a stand out performance, highlighting the difficulty with which some Nazi officers – including Dr. Wilhelm Kritzinger and Dr. Rudolph Lange – faced in coming to the decision to answer the Jewish Question through “evacuation”.
Jennifer Laney
Luke Daxon as Eichmann and Peter Hill as Heydrich
Stephen Boyd and Arran Southern certainly did justice to these respective conflicted characters, throwing further light on the reality that not all German people were active and enthusiastic supporters of the Holocaust. Opposing this was Peter Hill’s portrayal of the main Nazi officer S.S. General Reinhard Heydrich, the key orchestrator of the solution as we understand it today: concentration and labour camps. He brilliantly captured Heydrich’s authority and passive aggressiveness towards the rest of the cast.
Director Fiona Smith’s decision to include Karen Fodor either side of the interval singing in Yiddish and Aramaic was a stroke of genius as it brought the play back into perspective regarding the massacres undertaken by Nazi authority. Fodor’s hauntingly beautiful voice coupled with the low lighting coming from underneath the meeting table perfectly encapsulated the sombre mood.
All in all it was a fantastic play performed to such a high standard it was easy to forget this was an amateur theatre troupe, a production of this quality wouldn't have seemed out of place at a professional venue like Richmond Theatre or the Orange Tree. Conspiracy runs from October 4-8, so make sure you don’t miss out and grab your tickets now!
To book tickets visit hamptonhilltheatre.org.uk
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