Farm Hall at the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Joanna Woodburn
Inspired by true events, Farm Hall is the new wartime play by historian Katherine Moar, directed by Stephen Unwin and now showing at The Oxford Playhouse. As regular visitors, for us, the Playhouse is always the perfect venue for an evening of wonderful theatre. Lying in the heart of this beautiful, historic city, it offers comfortable, modern seating, friendly service and a guaranteed great view from anywhere in the auditorium.
Farm Hall tells the fascinating true story about how at the end of the Second World War, in the summer of 1945, Germany’s top nuclear scientists were detained and held for seven long months in Farm Hall, a stately home in Cambridgeshire. Unknown to the scientists, the Allied Forces have bugged the stately home and are listening in on their conversations, hoping to find out how close the Germans had come to creating an atomic bomb. Historian, Katherine Moar has cleverly based her gripping debut play around these transcripts and as such, the moral complexities are explored with authenticity, through looking at the lives, relationships and different beliefs of these complicated men.
The play begins shortly before the bombing of Hiroshima by the Americans. The scientists are a varied group, including Bagge, played by George Jones and Diebner, played by Julius D’Silva, who are questioned for joining the Nazi Party, as well as three Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Heisenberg, played by Alan Cox and Otto Hahn, played by Forbes Masson.
Ceci Calf’s scruffy, cluttered set is effective, the claustrophobic small sitting room in dire need of redecoration, reflects the confinement of the scientists – as their powerful minds struggle with little to do. As colleagues rather than friends, they struggle to remain amicable with tensions centred around their different beliefs, they are reduced to petty squabbles and disagreements.
All the cast are brilliant, giving powerfully balanced and sensitive performances, conveying the overwhelming trauma the scientists have been through. As the story unfolds, the men hear the terrible news about the Hiroshima bomb, which leads to conflict among the group, some have chilling, scientific detachment, others have terrible feelings of guilt about the part they have played in the tragedy.
Forbes Masson as Hahn gives an excellent, most nuanced performance, as he experiences moral conflict and feelings of guilt about the part he has played in this momentous event in history. Alan Cox as the unquestioning Heisenberg, the head of the club gives a convincing and brilliantly acted performance. Ultimately, there are no black and white answers for anyone and many ‘what ifs’ to consider.
All the cast give faultless, sublimely acted performances of the highest standard, working hard to sustain the tense atmosphere, as they navigate the audience through this complex, rather surreal scenario the characters find themselves in. The dialogue is packed full of interesting facts, while at the same time the shifting dynamics and divisive allegiances between the six very different characters gives the audience much to think about.
The play is a great triumph for debutant writer Katherine Moar and Director, Stephen Unwin. Farm Hall is theatre at its best, an informative, powerful and absorbing wartime play and most highly recommended.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £10
Farm Hall is showing at The Oxford Playhouse, Oxford from Monday 16th October to Saturday 21st October, for more information or to book tickets visit https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/whats-on or call the box office on 01865 3053
Beaumont Street, Oxfordshire, OX1 2LW https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/farm-hall