Review: BLONDE POISON, The Playground Theatre

Photo credit: Fiona Macpherson

Blonde Poison is the first offering in a quartet of showings of the playwright Gail Louw at The Playground Theatre. Blonde Poison introduces us to the character of Stella Goldschlag, who to “save herself” conspires with the Gestapo against the backdrop of the Holocaust to “rat” on Jews in hiding. This one person show (directed by Fred Abrahamse) meets Stella as she is preparing for an interview with a childhood friend, decades after the war and is forced to confront her past.

Firstly, it is instantly impossible to see Fiona Ramsay (who plays Stella Goldschlag) as anything but pure charm, as she jokes with audiences about the strength of the condoms she used in her youth, as she has four husbands and yet has only one child. However, the audience are painfully reminded that this is a character who is deeply flawed, to say the least. It is a brave move of playwright Gail Louw to tackle a subject and a character that seems so deeply decisive and emotionally charged. Yet Louw’s writing both holds Goldschlag accountable whilst asking whether this woman living in Nazi-Germany really had a choice, or whether the horrors of her own life made it an “adapt or die” situation. There are particularly heart-breaking moments of intense sadness as Goldschlag watches her own parents being sent to the Nazi concentration camps, and Ramsay an actor of mature age and stature, becomes instantly as vulnerable as a little girl being left alone.

The lighting and sound design by Marcel Meyer is stripped back, the set boasting of a singular armchair that was clearly once quite regal and now worn, faded and torn, mirroring how Stella Goldschlag wants us to believe she has fallen from grace and riches. Goldschlag is draped (perhaps ironically) in white from head to toe (literally), the colour one most associates with innocence and purity, yet we are constantly reminded that Goldschlag played a huge role in conspiring with the Gestapo in “catching” her fellow Jews, as many as 3000.

Indeed, Blonde Poison can be a discomforting watch as audiences are reminded of Stella’s own prejudice against her people and her own horrific acts of betrayal. Yet arguably the most impactful moment of the piece is when Stella implores the audience “what would you do to survive” and goes further, saying “if you were really asked”.

Ramsay’s portrayal captivates the audience for the entire 70 minutes, which is a tall order for any actor, specifically within the notoriously difficult one-person biography genre. If anything, it would be interesting to extend the show and dig even deeper for example into the ten years Goldschlag spent in a Soviet workcamp after being trialled for war crimes. However, it is always good to leave the audience wanting more, which Ramsay’s performance and Louw’s play certainly does. This is a dark tale that can’t help but fascinate audiences and Louw’s writing matched with Ramsay’s soulful performance makes Blonde Poison an undeniably strong opening the Playground’s Gail Louw Season.

Part of the Playground's Gail Louw Season, Blonde Poison is playing from the 27th of February to the 3rd of March at The Playground Theatre.

**** Four Stars

Reviewed by Nancy Brie