Directed by Philip Franks
Chichester Minerva Theatre and Duchess Theatre
2009
These two plays by Ronald Harwood are companion pieces, separate plays which complement one another. 'Taking Sides' premiered in the Minerva Theatre in 1995; this was 'Collaboration's' premiere production.
Prized by Hitler as the cultural jewel in the crown of the Third Reich, conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler became the perfect post-war target for interrogation as a Nazi sympathiser. Major Steve Arnold, who has witnessed the horrors of Belsen, is about to cross-examine him.
'Collaboration' begins in 1931 in a spirit of optimism as composer Richard Strauss and writer Stephan Zweig embark on an invigorating artistic partnership. But Zweig is a Jew and the Nazis are on the march. Is it possible to keep artistic aspiration and political action separate? How fine is the line between collaboration and betrayal?
Cast included Michael Pennington and David Horovitch
The Guardian
The Independent
"Brilliant - and devastating."