one4review | On 15, Aug 2019

A sparsely dressed set is not uncommon at the Fringe theatre, props here are a table a chair and a flag, It is ,of course , a floor-to-ceiling Nazi swastika : It’s a very disturbing just sitting there during the pre show silence .

Pip Upton has performed this one man play for over 20 years and in 20 countries. This is his final run with the play. During that 20 year period one would have thought, is it really necessary that we are constantly reminded how bad Hitler was. Sadly one has only to look at recent political polarisation in Europe and the US to have your question answered . The first half of the play is pretty predictable following the path of other Fuhrer bunker dramas. The second half of the play aims to unbalance you , and make you challenge your preconceptions.

Pips characterisation seems spot-on, various mannerisms are captured perfectly. The neurotic self deception, the cruelty, are all seemingly made more real as Hitler works through the phsycotic to-do list of his final days .

Not so much up lifting as terrifying but well worth seeing .

***

Reviewed by Robert

The Stand New Town Theatre