Blonde Poison (The Old Market, Brighton)

Gail Louw has written, without doubt, one of the finest pieces of solo theatre ever to have been performed with her latest play, Blonde Poison. It is the story of Stella Goldschlag Elizabeth Counsell who is given the chance to save herself and her family from the death camps in exchange for some information – information that would lead her to betray anything up to 3,000 Jews who were hiding in Berlin.

The piece is not set in the war but in the present day and, as the play begins we find Stella in her lounge. The set is simplistic and, although the room seems quite bare, the presence of the other characters in her story becomes so strong that there is no need for Director Tony Milner to introduce anything more. There is no change of scene, no other actor, just her- and this is very effective.

The ordeals she encountered in her past life during the Second World War demonstrate that the saying “If looks could kill” is very true. Goldschlag tells us how she has been abused, verbally and physically, and sometimes raped at the hands of the Nazis. Many in the audience are choking back tears as she recounts the story of how she hid while her own husband was taken away or when she tells of the many people who died when the prison in which she was held was bombed.

As if she were a twenty year old in today’s society, she also tells us candid stories of not only her own sexual activity, but she also shares with us tales of how sexually active most of the Jews were at the time – even in the most terrible of circumstances, “Everyone was doing it”, she says.

All too soon though the tables begin to turn and she herself becomes the source for details that will lead to others being taken away and she eventually performs such hideous acts of betrayal, and becomes such a monster, that even her own daughter regrets being born.

Overall this is a superb, thought-provoking, solo performance from an actress who is the most amazing storyteller.