Fringe review: WIESENTHAL, Christopher C Gibbs - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Written by Tom Dugan and performed by Christopher C Gibbs, Wiesenthal is based on the life of Simon Wiesenthal. Surviving the Holocaust, he devoted the rest of his life to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. This is the true story of an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, with the play taking place on his final day in his Vienna office in 2003.

Gibbs cuts a prominent figure as the heroic Wiesenthal, but there is a twinkle in his eye as he tells us that he has often been described as the Viennese 007.

Dugan's script is riveting. There was so much work carried out by Wiesenthal that we can only imagine that we have barely scratched the surface here. Such an interesting life, full of heartbreak, pain and sadness, but also full of joy and the satisfaction of knowing that he never broke his promise.

It's a touching, hard hitting piece of drama, celebrating the hero, his dedication and his persistance to make things right. After years of persecution, there was still hope.

A beautiful, agonising truth.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

Wiesenthal plays in Pleasance Below at Pleasance Courtyard at 11am until 27 August.