Wiesenthal theatre review: A message of hope
Christopher C Gibbs becomes Simon Wiesenthal in a riveting solo drama about history's darkest hour
‘I’m the Jewish James Bond,’ declares Christopher C Gibbs as Simon Wiesenthal. ‘Except, my weapons are persistence, publicity and paperwork.’ Turns out that’s a formidable array of weaponry, given that the real-life Wiesenthal was responsible for bringing more than 1,000 Nazis to justice for their atrocities in WWII. But how can justice be served on a regime responsible for murdering more than 11 million people? That’s the question Tom Dugan’s script asks and answers: hold the individuals to account in the sunlight so that everyone can see you doing it. That’s the message of hope within this cleverly constructed play. It shows us the best and worst of the human condition, reminds us that every individual has a choice, and urges us to always choose wisely.
Gibbs (potentially the oldest performer at Adelaide Fringe) is a force of nature, his words tumbling over themselves as he seeks to educate his audience. It’s a multi-layered performance, moving from genial host to man of steel to Nazi-obsessive to the child of the ghetto, a masterful unpacking of generational trauma (you cannot imagine that Wiesenthal was a particularly present father, for example). This peeling back of the layers takes the performance from dry lecture to engrossing piece of theatre, as Dugan’s words and Gibbs’ performance coalesce to reveal more and more about the character. Naturally, this is a story we need to hear, but it’s also a piece of theatre that’s worth seeing on its own merits. That’s important too: as Wiesenthal tells us, we all have the ability to use what we can to fight for justice in this world. Art is part of the fight and seeing this show is a very good place to start.
Wiesenthal continues at Ayers House State Dining Room until March 8.