What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Marylebone Theatre Review

LtoR Caroline Catz, Joshua Malina, Simon Yadoo and Dorothea Myer-Bennett in What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank production image. Photo by Mark Senior

Reviewed by Chelsea for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Content warnings: Strong language, discussion of sensitive topics of a religious and political nature, and drug use

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Pulitzer Prize finalist Nathan Englander brings his 2012 short story collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank to life in this freshly adapted play running at the Marylebone Theatre through the 23rd of November.

The play takes place in the Floridian kitchen of Jewish couple Phil and Debbie who live a secular life with their non-religious son, Trevor. They are visited by Debbie’s estranged childhood best friend Shoshana and her husband Yerucham who are an ultra-orthodox couple on holiday from their home in Israel. The conversation starts and temperatures rise as the two couples reflect on the past, present and future.

Right from the start, you know the atmosphere is going to get tense when Debbie tells Phil, “not to talk about the war”, and he does so within the first five minutes of the couple’s arrival. Rewritten up to the date of the play’s opening, Englander incorporates not only what has taken place in the Middle East up to the point of its original publication, but includes what has taken place since the 7th of October 2023. However, the play is not solely about what we are seeing in the news every day. It’s much more than that. With Englander’s cleverly funny and at times heartbreaking dialogue, the audience is kept on their toes and taken on a rollercoaster of emotions. We watch as the couple analyses one another about parenthood, religion, politics, and so on. Realising not everyone is what they seem from the outside and there isn’t always a black and white way of looking at things.

The cast all hold their own on stage and bring deliciously detailed life to their characters, but the standout of this piece is found in Dorothea Myer-Bennett’s portrayal of Shoshana. Her effortless movement through the play shows the multilayered person that is Shoshana. We see flashes of her secular life before moving to Israel mixed with flashes of her life after moving to Israel all while leaving room for questions about what is good and bad about both.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank is a surprisingly funny play that takes on some serious subject matter and asks questions rather than answering them. It should be seen by all people whether you are religious or not. This show will have you thinking and ruminating on it long after you have left the theatre.

At Marylebone Theatre until 23 November 2024.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆