Farm Hall Review

August 16, 2024

Farm Hall Review

7th – 31st August 2024

Following on from a successful run at Jermyn Street Theatre, Farm Hall opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket for its West End debut.

An impressive, seasoned cast including David Yelland (von Laue), Alan Cox (Heisenberg), Daniel Boyd (von Weizsäcker), Forbes Masson (Hahn), Julius D’Silva (Diebner) and Archie Backhouse (Bagge), who all appeared at Jermyn Street Theatre, star in this production which is directed by Stephen Unwin.

“The production is slick, fast paced and funny, with impeccable comic timing from the hugely talented cast”

Written by historian and playwright Katharine Moar, Farm Hall is a wartime drama which takes place in 1945. Adolf Hitler took his own life in April of that year but the war rumbles on and six of Germany’s top nuclear scientists are detained at Farm Hall – a stately home in the Cambridgeshire countryside. Other than petty quarrels, the six men lively peacefully together until news arrives from across the globe that rocks Farm Hall to its core and prompts each of the men to start talking more openly about their work. Unbeknown to the captives, every word is being overheard.

The production is slick, fast paced and funny, with impeccable comic timing from the hugely talented cast. The action takes place in one room at Farm Hall, which is depicted in classic box set style with table, chairs, easy chair, a central fire place and a piano.

The six temporary residents, bicker and jest with each other, some irritated by their lack of freedom, others grateful of the British hospitality. The witty banter between the men, who at times behave like school boys, is sharp, cutting and very funny and had an appreciative audience laughing from the outset.

The light tone of the piece lures us to a false sense of security which is rapidly pulled from under us in the most dramatic fashion. A sudden announcement of news, awful news. The moment is constructed with flawless delivery and makes for a very powerful end to act one, giving us plenty to talk about over our interval drinks.

We warm to these affable characters, we enjoy their silly humour and perhaps empathise with their unfortunate scenario, being away from loved ones and cut off from the world. Unwin draws us in, only to then taunt our conscience as we start to see glimpses of who these men really are.

We gain a previously unseen insight into their characters. One by one, their true colours shine through and they show where their own moral compass points. We see the lengths a desperate man will go to in an attempt to save his own skin. We see how the power hungry can navigate life, showing no regard for humanity in their desire to satisfy their own ego. We see the very darkest side of the human race.

The play echoes the sadness of war and highlights the perverse rules which place some members of society above the law. In Nuremberg between 20 November 1945 and 1 October 1946, the International Military Tribunal tried 22 of the most important surviving leaders of Nazi Germany in the political, military, and economic spheres, but how many escaped prosecution? Moar’s play will certainly entertain you but you’ll leave the theatre with plenty of food for thought too.