Etty lies face down on her bed clutching a pillow over her head, “this is a madhouse” she declares, complaining that her warring parents are simply unsuited. It’s something that she copes with by writing in her diary, seeking order in her inner chaos and a source of mental hygiene.
Above her, in a projected film we meet Sam, a mature model and ambassador for Mental Health Awareness due to her social media reach with over 400,000 followers. She is however struggling with the pandemic lockdown, thinking that it might be overstated and bemoaning the loss of an Instagram opportunity of a beach cocktail in Mauritius. Initially she fills her time with the usual lockdown pursuit of tidying but soon things become messy as she becomes bored, depressed, self-medicating with alcohol before digging out books including the diaries of Etty.
Etty’s solace is writing her journals during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, recording the growing anti-Jewish measures, the uncertain fate of fellow Jews and her work with the Jewish Council. As Sam reads them, we see Etty’s spiritual development, partly due to her relationship with “her rock” Julius Spier, a disciple of Jung. As she matures, she refuses to hate those destroying the Jewish community. She writes - “Every situation, however miserable, is complete in itself and contains the good as well as the bad."
We swap back and forth between them before Etty’s description of her journey to a transit camp where the onward journey will be to the death camp of Auschwitz. "The sky is full of birds, the purple lupins stand up so regally and peacefully, two little old women have sat down for a chat, the sun is shining on my face – and right before our eyes, mass murder... The whole thing is simply beyond comprehension."
Stepping into Etty’s shoes Sam will look to her for hope and sanity in overwhelming times.
The production seeks to interweave the journeys of these somewhat self-obsessed and egocentric characters, but the mental health issues are only dealt with in a perfunctory way. The comparison of Sam’s pandemic experience and Etty’s sit uncomfortably at best and there are some serious missteps.
It is unfortunate as substantial work has been invested in the piece, both in the talented performance and in the immersive atmospheric staging which sees the audience transit past Nazi insignia and piled suitcases through two intimate spaces.
Drastically editing it to the far theatrically stronger section dealing only with Etty’s transit to Westerbork camp would act as a more fitting tribute.
Show Times: 8 to 27 (not 11, 18, 25) August 2024 at 5pm.
Tickets: £15 (£10).
Suitability: 14+ (Audience required to walk or move around during the performance).