Prodding and thought-provoking
Coming after Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, the Young Vic plays host to another piece of satire. Nachtland (an invented German word that suggests a place of eternal darkness) by Marius von Mayenburg is certainly the more modern of the two, writes Christopher Peacock.
After its debut at the Schaubühne in Berlin in December 2022. It comes to London in a translated version by Maja Zade in the trusted directorial hands of Patrick Marber.
Philipp and Nicola are brother and sister tasked with clearing out the house of their recently dead father. With the help of Philipp’s partner Judith, and Nicola’s husband Fabian, a twist comes with the discovery of a wrapped painting in the loft. The watercolour of a church in Vienna’s 1st district is described as ‘kitsch’ and the siblings are at odds with what to do with it until the artist’s signature is revealed to be A.Hitler. Fabian’s suggestion of selling the work and the sort of value it could achieve tests their morality and ethics, especially when the decision to sell and a questionable search for provenance continues. Judith is ethnically Jewish and, as you might expect, is strongly opposed to any profiteering from the artwork. Naturally, this causes tension between her and Philipp.
Nachtland is presented in an open style, pre-show information about references of racism, the Holocaust, death, sexual content, loud noises and bright lights, etc., is available, and used to set the scene; scaffolding holding up the house facade, as part of Anna Fleischle’s design, is also clearly on display. This does help create a level of distance but despite this alienating presentation Marius von Mayenburg’s writing is steeped in dark humour that has you questioning what position you would hold if put in the same place.
Although never slow, the show ups the stakes with the introduction of Kahl (played by an imposing and erudite Angus Wright), the potential buyer found by the appraiser and connoisseur of Nazi art, Evamaria(Jane Horrocks) .
A very strong cast handle the comedy brilliantly, never taking any of the physical comedy or farce too far and, matched against the affronted Jenna Augen(Judith), it all works well.
Prodding and thought-provoking, comparisons with the Holocaust and modern Israeli defence policy are extremely topical; you do wonder if Nachtland plays differently for a German audience whose national psyche is always battling with what some may refer to as post-war guilt whenever anti-semitism is in the international agenda.
Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LZ until 20th April. Times: Mon – Sat 7.30pm; Wed & Sat matinees 2.30pm. Admission: £12 – £56
Booking: https://www.youngvic.org/
