Review: ONCE UPON A TIME IN NAZI OCCUPIED TUNISIA, Almeida Theatre

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Anyone who’s been lucky enough to see a show at North London’s beautiful Almeida Theatre will be no stranger to its gorgeous, exposed brick backdrop and impressionable set. If anyone saw the critically acclaimed production of Summer and Smoke in 2018, they will remember the striking use of pianos against the exposed brick and the impressive way the set was used to transport us from location to location. Well, Once Upon A Time In Nazi Occupied Tunisia has achieved the same feat. 

The theatre is transformed effortlessly into the sand dunes of a Tunisian Nazi-occupied camp by large light wooden boxes of different dimensions that cover the stage and are climbed and traversed by the cast. A huge sun shines down from the brick wall at the back of the theatre, which is a genius use of lighting in Designer Max John’s vision. These same wooden blocks then become a dining table in Act 1 and a pool, stairs, and boxes in Act 2, even transporting us between floors in a house in Tunis. 

A set so malleable gives the actors room to play and my, did they play! Adrian Edmondson commands the stage as the tyrant soldier affectionately (or perhaps terrifyingly) nicknamed Grandma by the troops. Due to a knee injury, Edmondson performs with a stick to walk but this only adds to the characterisation as he uses it to point, indicate, and force inferior characters to serve him. His sinister and unsettling performance in Act 1 becomes a lesson in comedy in Act 2. It is a masterclass in comic timing, the use of pauses and silence, and we watch in awe as he uses comedy to somehow become even more threatening.

Yasmin Paige shines as Loys, matching Edmondson’s energy and dominating the space in equal measure. She wins over the audience with her inner strength and vulnerability, showing an abundance of talent in the way she conveys fear. Daniel Rainford’s performance as Little Fella, right-hand to Grandma, is also captivating. His smarmy, sinister behaviour at times gives way to a little boy caught in the headlights of war and makes us remember how young many soldiers were in World War 2. 

Building on the tension created by the actors is the sound, fantastically designed by David Gregory. An ominous drone often comes in at moments of high stakes, without us even realising until we were on the edge of our seats. Combined with Jess Bernberg’s lighting, it really captures the entrapment of the characters in this situation.  

Running at around 2.5 hours with an interval, the play feels like the perfect length. The second half is certainly gripping but many of the questions about characters we had after Act 1 weren’t answered in Act 2 and a lot of backstory is left to the imagination. Whilst this provokes a fantastic post show discussion, it would have been nice to flesh out a few of the characters’ relationships with one another and their paths to this point – we don’t want to give away any spoilers though, Besties so we’ll let you decide for yourselves!

The Almeida has again produced a fantastic show, full of thought-provoking discussions about religion and class, and featuring stellar performances by the whole cast. Catch it if you can Besties, although we wouldn’t be surprised if this one had a West End transfer in its future!

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Eliza Harris

Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia plays at the Almeida Theatre until 18 September 2021. To book tickets, please click here.