Review: The Passenger, Finborough Theatre

Written by Ulrich Boschwitz in 1938, shortly after Kristallnacht when the Nazi’s launched a pogrom against German Jews, The Passenger tells the story of Otto Silbermann, a prosperous German Jew forced to flee. The book was not a success in its day and remained almost unknown until a rediscovery in the 2010s saw it finally republished in 2021 to huge sales and critical acclaim. Playwright Nadya Menuhin brings a world premiere of her adaptation to Finborough Theatre directed by Tim Supple.

Robert Neumark Jones plays Silberman, renamed by the party as Otto Israel, and with a large ‘J’ stamped in his passport. Silberman is at a loss, he is a decorated war veteran, he fought for his country and saw action at some major battles, he was in the trenches. Jones nails Silberman’s bewilderment that none of it matters – born in Germany? Irrelevant. Fought for Germany? Meaningless. The ‘J’ in his passport supersedes everything. As his friends, or those he thought were his friends turn away, cheat and swindle him, Silberman has no choice but to go on the run. Jones does a great job showing Silbermann’s fall, a man who has everything stripped away, his world falling apart. As he hides behind newspapers everyone is a threat, every person in every train carriage potentially looking to turn him in. A friendly chess game, impeccably staged, bristles with the potential for disaster. Ben Fox, Eric Maclennan, Dan Milne and Kelly Price all expertly play multiple supporting roles, with everyone other than Jones seamlessly shifting between characters – from National Socialist Party members to fellow Jews on the run to the Secret Police. Each feels like a real and different character even in fleeting appearances. 

Supple’s direction is excellent, heightening not only the tension but also the suffocating sense of the walls (rails) closing in, and the relentlessness of being persecuted. A simple yet effective set, designed by Hannah Schmidt – four benches arranged in a square to replicate train seating, the intimate space of Finborough being filled with the cast using all the space around the set, spreading the claustrophobia and the feeling that you need to curl in on yourself to the audience. Light design by Mattis Larsen flashes us through the countryside on the rails and brief blackouts (aside from one inconsiderate audience member on their phone!) adds to the unease. The sound design by Joseph Alford is outstanding – replacing cigarettes with sound effects proves particularly effective, while the evocative hum of trains and ambient sounds really immerse the audience in Silbermann’s world of train tracks, menace and desperation. 

Supple’s direction really brings Menuhin’s adaptation vividly to life, the 90 minutes feels frantic and gripping. As Silbermann goes from train to train, place to place first seeking escape, then refuge and then answers. The stakes feel high but even within this there are moments of humour and finally horror as the end gives away to darkness and the relentless sound of trains. A horrific glimpse of Nazi Germany. A powerful production, with outstanding work from everyone involved. Gripping, brilliantly crafted, and thoroughly deserving of a longer life following this run.

Directed by: Tim Supple
Associate Direction by: Joseph Alford
Set and Costume Design by: Hannah Schmidt
Lighting Design by: Mattis Larsen
Sound Design by: Joseph Alford
Produced by: Toby Parsons Productions in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre.

The Passenger plays at Finborough Theatre until 15th March.