The Reichstag is Burning

The team that has delivered such gems as The Girl That Jumped Off the Hollywood Sign and That Daring Australian Girl are back with their new offering The Reichstag is Burning. Having already well established themselves as award-winning writers and producers of the cabaret genre it is, perhaps, no surprise that their latest production invites the audience to spend the evening in the Katakombs Kabarett in the Weimar tradition.

Incorporating more song, and less spoken dialogue, than their previous productions, The Reichstag is Burning is a musical journey through the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi Party. Hartstone has cleverly interweaved songs from the period such as Hollander’s ‘Chuck Out the Men’ (Raus mit den Männern), and Spoliansky and Schwabach’s ‘Lavender Nights’ (Das Lila Lied) with many, sometimes unexpected, contemporary pieces.

The selection of popular, modern music brings home to the audience the reality that what happened in the 1930s in Germany could too easily be repeated today. It comes as no surprise that Hartstone effortlessly incorporates songs such as Chris Issak’s ‘Wicked Games’ as a commentary on the narcissistic appeal that leaders can wreak over their populations.

Tom Kitney’s production design is sublime from the stage and video design to the lighting. The audience are taken to the smoky, dimly lit cabaret halls of the 1930s. He has incorporated the clever use of scrim and curtains to project a chronology of events which accentuates the horror that such a series of events could ever have occurred. My only criticism is that for impact, and ease of reading, it would be prudent to leave the projections up for slightly longer.

Although Joanne has esteemed assistance with Professor Michael Morley providing voice-overs, she completely carries this show on her very able shoulders. Her voice and her spirit are strong in the guise of cabaret chanteuse Iris London. On opening night, a slight technical hitch was barely noticeable and certainly didn’t cause her to skip a beat. Hartstone is a consummate professional.

In a time when our arts and culture are under threat and we are witnessing the rise of the far right, The Reichstage is Burning is a welcome reminder that ‘art is the lens through which we hold our leaders accountable’.  Hartstone’s big ending number, Propellerhead’s ‘History Repeating’ drives home the point that we must ensure that history does not repeat, that we are all, in some way responsible and that ‘tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil’.  

A timely and thought-provoking night at the theatre – don’t miss it.

Jenny Fewster

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